New Carolina Construction Company started site preparation work for East North Street Academy in Greenville, SC, in February of this year. The first phase of the two-part project is construction of a new 98,500-sq.-ft. (8,865 sq m) school to replace an old elementary school built in the 1960s. Phase One will be completed in May of 2001. “Then we will begin Phase Two, demolition of the old facility and construction of a parking lot, playgrounds, and athletic fields. All of it will be finished and ready for the start-up of school in the fall of 2001,” said New Carolina Project Superintendent Wallace Kelly. Drew Powell is project manager for the East North Street Academy project. He has 30 workers on the job site now, and that number will fluctuate as the project progresses.

The project, funded by Greenville County School District, includes three buildings on approximately 11 acres (4.4 hectares) that were used previously for a ball field. The buildings will be connected by one continuous corridor (running through the center of each of the buildings) with skylights. Approximately one half of the school will be two stories, and the remaining area will be one-story structure. There will be 50 classrooms for first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grades and special education classes.

According to Kelly, the job has presented several challenges thus far. “Because of the tight work area, with minimal space around the perimeter of the area we’re building on, we had to construct a 300-ft. retaining wall before we could start grading, backfilling, and packing dirt,” he said. The middle school, which is adjacent to the construction site, cannot be disturbed in any way. Since there is only 20 ft. clearance around the site and no space for the storage of building materials, New Carolina leased some adjoining property from the Seventh Day Adventist Church. An Educational Television tower on the new school property had to be relocated before work could begin also.

New Carolina Construction, which is based in Greenville on White Horse Road, has become well known for its specialty, schools construction. Recently completed schools include Duncan Chapel Elementary in Travelers Rest, SC; Greenbrier Elementary in Mauldin, SC; and Welcome Elementary School in Greenville, SC. Ray McCarson is president of the company, and Barry Orem is vice president. New Carolina owns most of the equipment that its projects require.

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