History set to repeat with Yowell Elem.?

By Rhonda Simmons

Published: July 21, 2008

If Yowell Elementary School isn’t ready to open its doors Aug. 20, it won’t be the first time a Culpeper County public school wasn’t prepared to offer classes on the first day.
Emerald Hill Elementary — slated to open Sept. 2, 1997, on Rixeyville Road — opened Oct. 28, eight weeks after the first day of school. Its completion date was pushed back because of the “regulation of water treatment.”

Back then, Emerald Hill students were housed at Floyd T. Binns Middle School until construction was complete.

This time, the setback at the county’s sixth elementary school — under construction at the intersection of Yowell Drive and Sperryville Pike — is blamed on site work.

The road concerns originated with “sloping and elevation” where Yowell Drive and Sperryville Pike come together.

The Culpeper County School Board has yet to make any public announcement whether the $15 million school will open on time or where Yowe’lls approximately 600 students would be housed.

The board plans to make its official decision during a two-day retreat Aug. 1 and 2 at Central Office, 450 Radio Lane.

Meanwhile, Culpeper builder Don Shuman Jr., an independent housing contractor for nearly 35 years, isn’t afraid to go on the record with his opinion about Yowell.

“I don’t think it’s going to be ready. It’s going to take a lot more effort than what we’ve seen from them to get it ready to pass inspection,” said Shuman, who rode past the county’s only two-story elementary school Monday morning on his way to his office. “It’s not just a matter of having the school ready.”

In order to obtain an occupancy permit, Shuman said, school officials must have their infrastructure ready too.

And that’s just what town and school officials tried to sort out Monday.

Town inspector Hank Milans met with Hunter Spencer, CCPS construction projects manager, to discuss the site work issues. Milans said his job isn’t to tell contractors — who work in the town limits — how to do their job.

“That’s left up to the engineers,” he said. “I just alert them of design problems.”

After the meeting, Milans said he felt confident that the contractors working for the school system would fix the problems.

“I think we have it sorted out,” he said Monday afternoon.

Spencer — who also oversees construction at Eastern View High School near the intersection of Route 666 and U.S. 29 — said once the engineer makes the revisions for the pavement design, architects will direct the contractor regarding the changes.

The road concerns are along the north side of Sperryville Pike.

“We think we know what the answer is,” Spencer said. “It’s just a matter of getting the direction to the contractor and getting (the project) moving again. It’s not as bad as we thought.”

Assistant Town Engineer Fritz Alderman, who also met with Spencer and Milans on Monday, said the town would do whatever it takes to aide school officials in the Yowell project.

“I have full confidence in Hunter Spencer and his ability to get this done,” Alderman said. “He has been an excellent liaison between the town and the school.”

School Board Chairman George Dasher has promised that Yowell would open on time — with somewhat of an asterisk attached to that statement.

“It’s just a matter of where,” he said last week.

Rhonda Simmons can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 125 or