August 1, 2022
Dear Gardner Public School Families,
Since we began construction of our new school, the building committee, business office, maintenance department, and outside contractors have overcome many obstacles to keep us on-time and on-budget while COVID continues to impact staffing and our supply-chain significantly. This past Friday, during our weekly scheduled check-in meeting, we learned that two supply-chain issues will require us to delay the opening of Gardner Elementary School by two weeks. This change requires that we also delay the opening of Gardner Middle School, Gardner High School, and Gardner Academy by only one week. Specifically:
1. The elevator team had to stop work because part of a shipment of electrical fuses, elevator buttons, and some electrical panel boards was incomplete, and
2. Our order of electrical panel boards (part of the main power distribution equipment) did not contain all of the necessary panels to power the building.
Both of these recent issues were a direct result of supply-chain issues and caused subsequent delays in the project’s overall timeline. Until Friday, our expectation was to move in on time. Fortunately, we have been proactively planning for this situation. The following schedule considered:
● Balancing the importance of getting students in as soon as possible and providing teachers with the
time they need to prepare for the opening of a new school;
● The impact on our sports programs and MCAS curriculum timelines; and
● Allowing the bus company to settle issues caused by having entirely new bus routes and start times.
We apologize for this significant inconvenience. Please contact your school if you have questions or concerns. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we finish the lengthy, exciting process of building a new school for our children.
Sincerely,
Mark J. Pellegrino
Superintendent of Schools
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