BEVERLY — Those driving by the Beverly High School construction site should see the first sign of steel beams around the beginning of April.
"The construction is going fabulous," said Steve Stafford, project manager for Herry International, the city's management company. "We're right on the button as far as scheduling is concerned.
Demolition of the inside of the field house, cafeteria and auditorium is well underway, he said. Workers have ripped out the auditorium seats, and used the ones that were in good condition to replace some of the older seating in the Memorial Building, said Superintendent James Hayes. The stage curtains will also be recycled, but pretty much everything else will be thrown away.
"There's very little in that school that has any permanent value," Hayes said.
Meanwhile, construction workers have removed the asbestos to start renovations, and they're in the process of installing a drainage system and other utilities. They've also dug a hole for the foundation, and are putting up the foundations walls, or footings.
"When you get the first few yards of concrete in the ground, it's a milestone," Stafford said.
But the bigger milestone, at least for the public, will be when the steel starts to shine. By the end of March or early April, the metal columns and beams will soon go in the ground and the frame of the four-story academic building will start to take shape.
The $80 million project is expected to take about two years.
"Spring is coming, and the weather is on our side," Stafford said. "It's full speed ahead."
Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@salemnews.com.
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