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Schedule turned out to be unworkable, says project engineer
By Holly KurtzDenver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
Construction delays have pushed back the completion of a new library at Columbine High School to the spring. But there are no plans to link the library opening to the anniversary of America's bloodiest school shooting. "We don't want to memorialize that in any way," said Gregg Johnson, project engineer for Turner Construction. "This whole project's about moving forward." The new library is a replacement for the space where 12 people, including two gunmen, died April 20, 1999. Though some Columbine families wanted the old library to remain as it was, injured and murdered victims' families said that would be too painful. The families banded together into a group called Healing of People Everywhere to raise more than $3 million to demolish the old library and build a new one. The school library is now housed in portable buildings. In March, construction workers predicted the new space could open as early as Christmas 2000. But Johnson said that turned out to be unworkable. "We didn't start the project till September," he said. That's because workers were focusing on demolishing the old library and replacing it with a glass atrium before students returned to school. A finished atrium greeted students as they returned from summer vacation in August. Rita Kahn, co-chairwoman of the fund-raising effort for the new library, said she expects it to open with little fanfare. "I think it'll be run pretty much the way we did with the atrium," she said. "Quietly." Contact Holly Kurtz at (303) 892-5082, or kurtzh@RockyMountainNews.com. December 29, 2000
Construction delays have pushed back the completion of a new library at Columbine High School to the spring.
But there are no plans to link the library opening to the anniversary of America's bloodiest school shooting.
"We don't want to memorialize that in any way," said Gregg Johnson, project engineer for Turner Construction. "This whole project's about moving forward."
The new library is a replacement for the space where 12 people, including two gunmen, died April 20, 1999. Though some Columbine families wanted the old library to remain as it was, injured and murdered victims' families said that would be too painful.
The families banded together into a group called Healing of People Everywhere to raise more than $3 million to demolish the old library and build a new one.
The school library is now housed in portable buildings.
In March, construction workers predicted the new space could open as early as Christmas 2000. But Johnson said that turned out to be unworkable.
"We didn't start the project till September," he said.
That's because workers were focusing on demolishing the old library and replacing it with a glass atrium before students returned to school.
A finished atrium greeted students as they returned from summer vacation in August.
Rita Kahn, co-chairwoman of the fund-raising effort for the new library, said she expects it to open with little fanfare.
"I think it'll be run pretty much the way we did with the atrium," she said. "Quietly."
Contact Holly Kurtz at (303) 892-5082, or kurtzh@RockyMountainNews.com.
December 29, 2000
