Hard Hat Happenings: We have risen.

Hard Hat Happenings: We have risen.

I don’t mean to be so dramatic, but today’s tour of the campus site inspired me. Just three weeks ago, we celebrated the construction kick-off, and today The Bancroft School building is framed in steel with the two-story wing commanding our attention. Campus Residences are framed in wood, and the walls of the gymnasium and pool provide a glimpse of the space that will provide immense joy to our kids.

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Today, I was joined by Bancroft Board chair Jim Dwyer and our Chief Legal Officer James Wellons. The last time Jim saw the site was more than two years ago when we were considering options for our new campus. What a difference on this cold morning, when we saw our breath just before it was taken away by the sheer splendor of the quickly emerging Bancroft Campus at Mt. Laurel.

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With the Supermoon still visible, our initial view from the parking area was of the thinning ring of trees around the campus core, a tall crane sticking up like a spire and geese in v-formation heading south. It dawned on me they won’t recognize the campus when they return this spring!

Our buildings and our campus are taking shape. We walked through one of the Campus Residences, and we were able to identify the bedrooms, the high-ceilinged living space, kitchen and even the laundry rooms. Workers were framing another house this morning, and wood for a third was lined up awaiting placement.

With 10 buildings being constructed at the same time, and dozens of big trucks delivering materials throughout the day, I am amazed how well things are going. Project manager Bill Bamford said “It’s like conducting an orchestra.” We’re glad Bill is our maestro!

What really impresses me is the precision, meticulousness and science behind the construction process. Concrete is mixed and poured according to temperature, so the predicted cold weather will require a new formula for the five remaining concrete pours to complete the school building. Every bolt in those steel frames – and there are 8,881 of them! – are tightened one by one. It’s a race against nature to the finish – and it’s a race we must win!

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It was another great morning in Mt. Laurel. “Immense” is the word Jim Dwyer used to describe what he saw. James said the campus is even better than the renderings, and the renderings are pretty impressive!

Bill said “Don’t blink,” it’ll be finished before we know it. Boy, do we have a lot of work to do before then!

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