Under its Alternative Public Assistance Program, FEMA awarded PSS $24 million to rebuild Hopwood, which was destroyed by Super Typhoon Yutu in Oct. 2018.
In a recent meeting, Board of Education Vice Chairman Herman Atalig asked Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred Ada and the PSS Facilities and Development Management Office about the status of the Hopwood project.
Ada, who became education commissioner in Dec. 2019, said PSS had not yet issued a procurement request for architecture and engineering, but added that it would be out soon.
Charley Kenty, associate commissioner for administrative services, said PSS is working with the Public Assistance Office, which will assign one project manager dedicated to overseeing PSS projects. “We had a meeting with them last week and they are in the final stages of selecting an individual to work closely” with PSS, Kenty added.
He said the project manager will “work along with our [Facilities and Development Management] employees to make sure everything’s aligned….”
Atalig said “a lot of [things] must be forwarded to FEMA for its final approval.”
Among his concerns include the availability of money for cost-share and for the insurance when the school is rebuilt.
“If we don’t submit a plan within the next six months, we might lose that entire $24 million grant from FEMA,” said Atalig, who also chairs the BOE capital infrastructure projects committee.
Hopwood campus
The Hopwood Middle School campus in Chalan Piao is ready to welcome about 900 students when the new school year starts on Sept. 8, Dr. Ada said.
He said the facilities available on the campus include the cafeteria, a bus shelter, 19 classrooms, a parking area, two restrooms for girls with a total of 10 cubicles and two restroom for boys with a total of 10 cubicles.
With the completion of phase 1 of the renovation project, Ada asked the federally funded employees of the school system to volunteer for one day and help prepare the campus for the new school year.
He said the PSS management team decided to bring back the students to the Chalan Piao campus for their own safety.
“Although the temporary campus in Koblerville helped the students go back to their regular schedule, teachers and students experienced hardship due to a stressful environment and lack of facility,” Ada told the board during its meeting on Friday.
He said the temporary campus, which consisted of 42 military tents, did not protect students from rain or severe heat when they were moving in and out of their classrooms. Moreover, there were not enough restrooms.
In addition, the temporary campus did not have a cafeteria and facilities for sports and recreation, Ada said.
He added that Hopwood PTSA members, for their part, were concerned about the rodents that “invaded classrooms.” The parents believe that the environment was unsanitary and unsafe for students, Ada said.
When Hopwood reopens in the new school year, Ada said each classroom will accommodate up to 15 students only to observe social distancing rules.
Moreover, there will be a group of students attending classes in the morning and another group attending classes in the afternoon, he added.
Student instruction will also be provided through online platforms, Ada said.
