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<p>DALLAS TWP. &#8212; Wires still dangle from the ceilings, much of the hallway lighting comes from temporary fixtures and you can occassionally spot a hand-lettered cardboard sign reading &#8220;Laser in use.&#8221;</p><p>No, those are not sci-fi weapons slicing things to pieces, but laser beams used to cast level lines on walls.</p><p>Despite all this, the new Dallas Intermediate School is about 80 percent complete and pretty impressive.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s on time and under budget,&#8221; Dallas School District Superintendent Thomas Duffy boasted to a small school-bus full of administrators and members of the district&#8217;s parent advisory council during a tour on Wedenesday.</p><p>The bus took them on a short jaunt from outside the administration offices down Conyngham Avenue to the new building, which &#8212; Duffy stressed &#8212; &#8220;is an active work site.&#8221;</p><p>At the site, Duffy joked that because the building was so far along, &#8220;now is not the time to suggest big changes,&#8221; Then introduced Project Manager Ethan Fick, of D&#8217;huy Engineering, who pointed out construction work has come along this far &#8220;Without a single change order,&#8221; the term for district approval of work not in the contract, usually resulting from unexpected issues once things are underway.</p><p>Outside, a backhoe moved gravel and a extending forklift positioned metal panes that will cover parts of the external wall not already hidden by the brick facade. Inside, the tour group routinely had to step aside as workers walked by with ladders, uncoiled cable or checked plans spread on top of numerous wheeled &#8220;job boxes.&#8221;</p><p>In one hallway, the terrazzo flooring had been poured and was being sanded to soft finish, the chalk-like powder forming footprints as visitors walked around. In another, the materials for the flooring &#8212; tubs of two-part epoxy, bags of sand and other bags of stone &#8212; sat piled on wood pallets.</p><p>Once it&#8217;s all poured and sanded, it will be polished to a high shine. Classroom flooring, striped with two shades of the district&#8217;s blue colors, similarly awaited a cleaning and polishing.</p><p>During one pass through the halls, Fick took time to note an added feature: the mortar between the blocks was set deeper around every two blocks, breaking up the texture. Asked why, he cited a comment from the architects at Alloy5: &#8220;We don&#8217;t build prisons, we build schools.&#8221;</p><p>The hall walls were further punctuated with long, parallel rails of cork board, so teachers can pin things up rather than use tape or other materials that can leave sticky residue.</p><p>The classrooms themselves &#8212; about 30, Duffy said &#8212; look roomy for the expected average class size of 22 to 26 students. Parents on the tour remarked several times about the extensive cabinet storage space being installed.</p><p>All told, the building can hold more than 700 students, Duffy said, though the initial enrollment &#8212; all students in grades 3-5 will probably be under 550.</p><p>In one room, Fick urged the group to cluster around the window, pointing to Dallas Elementary, the building being replaced. He said the last day of school is June 19 and that demolition of that building will begin the next day. The plan is to use the space for parking, and to pave separate roadways for student drop off by parents in one area and by bus in another, avoiding the current problem of vehicles sometimes lining up on Conyngham Avenue and Hildebrandt Road.</p><p>Fick also noted playground equipment from Dallas Elementary, currently in storage, will be set up outside the new school.</p><p>In the gym, men were at work on two large lifts, one painting the upper parts of the wall, the other working on ceiling fixtures. Duffy noted the adjacent music room has large doors that can be opened so it can be used as a stage, with students and family members sitting in folding chairs set up on the gym floor.</p><p>Unlike the gym at Dallas Elementary, this one will be large enough to hold the entire student body, he added.</p><p>The cafeteria is smaller and can hold about 230 people he said as they tour wound down in the eating area, but that keeps the the number of youngsters more manageable as they arrive in shifts, probably by grade.</p><p>All told, Fick said the building is about 63,000 square feet. It is budgeted at a bit more than $16 million dollars, and it is expected to be open for business when school begins this fall. </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The new Dallas Intermediate School in Dallas Township is still under construction, but officials say it&#8217;s about 80 percent done. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0509419DallasIntermediate1-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>The new Dallas Intermediate School in Dallas Township is still under construction, but officials say it&#8217;s about 80 percent done. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0509419DallasIntermediate2-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Work continues on the gym in the new Dallas Intermediate School in Dallas Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0509419DallasIntermediate2-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Work continues on the gym in the new Dallas Intermediate School in Dallas Township. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0509419DallasIntermediate3-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Thomas Duffy gives a tour of the new Dallas Intermediate School in Dallas Township on Wednesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0509419DallasIntermediate3-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Thomas Duffy gives a tour of the new Dallas Intermediate School in Dallas Township on Wednesday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0509419DallasIntermediate5-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Flooring is put down in the new Dallas Intermediate School in Dallas Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0509419DallasIntermediate5-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>Flooring is put down in the new Dallas Intermediate School in Dallas Township. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0509419DallasIntermediate4-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dallas Intermediate School project manager Etan Fick points out where a whiteboard will be in a classroom. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL0509419DallasIntermediate4-2.jpg</photo4><caption4>Dallas Intermediate School project manager Etan Fick points out where a whiteboard will be in a classroom. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Facility is about 80 percent complete</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Parents get tour of new Dallas school, about 80 percent done