St James Intermediate School under construction in Horry County SC is one of three schools in the district that may not be completed in time for the beginning of the 201718 school year

Construction delays at 3 Horry County (S.C.) schools may jeopardize opening

June 6, 2017

Completion of the projects now set for mid-July; schools set to open in August.

Construction delays at three schools in the Horry County (S.C.) district have raised doubts that the projects will be completed in time for the 2017-18 school year.

WBTW-TV reports that the builder, First Floor Energy Positive, disclosed the latest delays Monday night at a school board meeting. First Floor CEO Robbie Ferris blamed the delays at St. James Intermediate, Ten Oaks Middle, and Socastee Elementary on weather, and said the projects would need an additional six to 10 days.

That would back up completion until mid-July; classes in the new facilities are scheduled to begin on Aug. 23.

Teachers and other Horry County staff members can’t begin moving into the new buildings until they are finished. According to the district’s technology director, installation of technology could take up to a month.

Asked if the staff was confident that the schools could open on time, Mark Wolfe, the district’s executive director of facilities, said, “It’s a very tight time frame and I’ll be honest, staff is nervous."

Ferris says he doesn’t expect any other delays.

“We expect the buildings to be complete so that students can occupy the buildings when they show up for school,” he says.

In addition to the three schools set to open in August, Horry County is scheduled to open two other schools—Socastee and Myrtle Beach middle schools—after the start of the 2017-18 school year.