Wonderful news regarding the construction! According to the April 19, 2012 letter from the Merrimac Board of Selectmen, the air and wipe samples taken from the Sweetsir School building came back with no hazardous material found. Parents were notified via the list serv and a blackboard connect call that school will reopen as planned on Monday, April 23rd. (It has not been decided yet if FNS students will need to make up the missed day. The School Committee sets the calendar, so that question will be on the agenda for one of their future meetings.).
I would like to thank the Merrimac Selectmen and Building Inspector for their efforts in taking the extra precautions to test the building. They have been expending considerable time and energy to oversee this project. As someone who has worked in the building, I assure you the window, roof and heating/ventilation renovations were much needed. The children of Merrimac are fortunate the town has put so much effort in to improving their school!
Update: A crew of window workers have been on site during vacation week installing new windows and doors to the front part of the cafeteria. These windows are very large so it was a complicated, time consuming task. The cafeteria windows were scheduled for when students were off to avoid interrupting lunchtime. PRSD custodians have also been working hard to give the overall building a deep cleaning. This spring cleaning included four custodians vacuuming lights, cleaning vents and burnishing the floors.