PINE BUSH – After months of missed deadlines and problems with many aspects of the Crispell Annex project, the Pine Bush School District is finally looking at occupying the new classrooms on Monday, December 8.

Earlier in the week, there had been concern that this latest deadline would be missed, and at that point, Superintendant Phil Steinberg was not pleased with the performance of the contractor, Rohrs.

However, since then Rohrs and the site contractor, K.E. Greer-Infrastructure of Pine Bush, have made progress and it now does look as if they will make the December 8 deadline.

Deborha Brush, Assistant Superintendant for Administrative Services, noted that "Rohrs have been meeting their punch list requirements. The fire alarms are good, the electrical systems are in; it is really looking good."

As for the asphalt outside in the parking lot, Brush notes, "that is something that will be fixed, but after the annex is open for use."

At recent meetings of the Pine Bush Board of Education, there has been a noticeable sense of barely repressed fury with the contractor over the delays on the completion of the Crispell Annex. Superintendent Phil Steinberg said, when asked about legal action against Rohrs, "I can't discuss it, but obviously we're not happy."

School Board President John Anthony said at one point, "It's hard to believe anything we're being told. Is this date solid?"

However, that was then, when the project was still unfinished and when Rohrs had declined to produce a hard schedule for completion targets as had been requested.

John Boyle, Principal of Crispell Middle School, is upbeat about the new classrooms and the prospect of finally occupying them.

"Our kids and the faculty are very excited right now. The new classrooms are absolutely beautiful and I think those teachers can hardly wait to get into them. Of course, this isn't like a whole new building for us; it replaces much needed space that we lost. So it will be very nice to have those areas back, as it were, and to be able to free up the rooms in the main school building that we've been using these last few months and get back to normal."

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