Butler Senior High School faces renovation delays due to supply chain issues

BUTLER, Pa. — Construction is underway at Butler Senior High School. The project was expected to be finished by the start of the school year this fall, but now due to supply chain issues, most of the project won’t be done on time.

The project includes additional classrooms connecting the buildings, a new auxiliary gym and more, but it’s been difficult to get the materials needed for the project, especially steel.

“There has been some shortage industrywide on stuff like roof material and aluminums. Lumber prices have been an issue for a while,” said Dave Johnson for Eckles Construction Services.

The construction manager says the gym was supposed to be completed in February, but now it won’t be ready to go until August.

The part of the project that includes the classrooms won’t be finished until at least December. Channel 11 asked the superintendent how this could impact students, as the ninth graders plan to join tenth through 12th grades next year for the first time.

“There will be about 2,000 kids on this campus, so it’s a big student body and (we) need to make sure we have enough rooms for them. We are resigning some classroom spaces in the building, making some alternations to places to use as classrooms,” said superintendent Brian White.

Some specialty classes will remain at the intermediate high school until the new classrooms are done. They plan to open them up in phases throughout the first semester. The delay could cause hardship for teachers, though, who will have to switch rooms halfway during the school year.

“We are disappointed it’s going to take a little later, but I’m going to get an additional music room and offer courses the ninth graders are taking, a lot of classes that they haven’t been offered before,” said music teacher Jeff Kroner.

The project will cost about $14 million. That cost will remain the same, even with the supply chain issues.

The district said it plans to start school on schedule this fall.

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