Construction Project Updates May

During the next few months, the building's architectural features and style will come into view. Progress will continue to be rapid as windows are installed, the exterior of the building is clad in a stone veneer, plaster, and hardy board (hardy board is a durable plank-style wood-like construction material).  At the same time, site work will continue as the site concrete is completed surrounding the building including the quad at the center of the classroom building and the teaching areas outside the lower school classroom on the west side of the building.  By mid-summer, the building will look like the new home for our faculty and students that many people have been working on for the last 5 years.
 
The installation of technology and furniture will commence late this summer. The last items to be completed will include the relocation/removal of the temporary classrooms and the installation of the kindergarten playground and associated screen walls at the front of the site.  Optimistically, we could receive a certificate of occupancy in October of this year.
 
At the same time this work is ongoing, our architect, LPA, will be submitting construction plans in June for plan check and permitting by the City of Newport Beach for the final phase of the construction project. This final phase will include a new 500 seat theatre, a gymnasium, music rooms, a conference room, and a food service/kitchen area. This work will commence late this year and continue until the beginning of classes for the 2023/24 school year, at which point, (mercifully) Harbor Day School will not need to undergo a significant construction project for decades.
 
As I am sure our community can appreciate, a great deal of time has been put into this project by many of our trustees and past trustees, the faculty, and the administration. The faculty's involvement in assisting in design/functionality has been VERY enthusiastic. Special thanks go out to Mike Coleman and James Gapp who have coordinated a huge amount of work with the consultants and our faculty and administration. Also, Bob Searles, Steve Thorp, and Eric Olson continue to work with me every week on interior design, landscaping, signage, and numerous elements of the project. It has been a great experience for all of us to work on this project and we are excited about the completion of the first phase this fall.
 
There will be a presentation with more detail on Phase 2 of the project during the State of the School Zoom meeting on May 19.