First phase of South Elementary School's project completed

The first part of a $2.6 million window replacement project at New Canaan's South Elementary School has been "successfully completed," Nancy Harris, the district's interim director of finance and operations, told the Board of Education Monday.

Split into two phases, the project will repair or replace some of the windows, replace a failing glass block structure in the upper level of the school and repair the building expansion joint. The glass block structure will be replaced with frosted glass, according to Harris.

Phase one, which lasted about a month and cost $411,700, included the removal of the glass block and abatement of hazardous materials from non-teaching spaces.

The area is now sealed up with weatherproof boards until the second phase, which includes more abatement and the replacement of the windows, begins in summer 2015.

At Monday's meeting, Harris praised the work of Niram, the New Jersey construction company in charge of phase one.

"They were on time, they were neat, they were thorough," she told the board.

Harris said environmental experts and engineers visited the construction site every day "to make sure all containment remained intact" and "that all materials were removed properly."

The finance director said the building committee overseeing the project plans to launch the bidding process for phase two in the fall.

The committee's next meeting is Thursday, Aug. 28, at 10 a.m. in room 102 at South.

noliveira@bcnnew.com, 203-330-6582, @olivnelson

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First phase of South Elementary School's project completed