Construction of the Rocky Mountain 6-12 School in Cowley is moving along on schedule, with perimeter stem wall concrete pouring this week and interior footings next on the list.
Overseeing the construction is project manager Marion Morrison, who was hired by the School District No. 1 Board of Trustees in December and will be employed by the district until after the completion of the facility, which is scheduled for summer 2010. Morrison spends some time in her office at the District One administration building in Cowley, but she is on the job site to supervise any time a new phase begins or a lot of work is being done, she said.
She spent most of last Friday overseeing the site as workers poured about 90 yards of concrete for the perimeter stem wall (foundation) of the new school.
Morrison and superintendent Lynn Wiles of Groathouse Construction agreed that the project is moving along as scheduled, despite a minor setback due to recent frigid temperatures. Stem wall concrete work should be completed early this week, she said. Following will be interior footings that will support interior walls, interior concrete slabs and masonry work. After that, interior wall framing will begin and subcontractors will start work on electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other systems. 
Morrison moved to Powell from New York in 1981 to work in the oil patch. She earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s business administration from the University of Wyoming. She has been a part of various construction and engineering projects for nearly 30 years in different capacities, she said.
She has worked as project manager for the recently completed Powell High School, Powell Southside Elementary School and the Park County Law Enforcement Center. She said she sees no major challenges with the Rocky Mountain project, noting that every project she has worked on over the years has been a little bit different.
“Every project is unique,” Morrison said. “It’s all the little things that make them unique. I don’t see any big challenges or problems coming up; if I did, I’d be working on them. It’s a good plan, a good layout. So far, everything’s been going smoothly except for the brief cold snap.”
Morrison said one similar part of the PHS project and the Cowley school is the use of a geothermal heating system, which was a challenge to set up because it uses relatively new technology that not many people have experience with.
As for future work with the uncertain state of the economy and construction industry, Morrison said the type of work she does has not noticeably declined.
“Typically, for projects of this size and scope, it takes a while for economic changes to take hold,” she said. “But we have seen more contractors from outside of the local area. Contractors are more willing to travel, looking for work wherever they can find it.”
She said this makes for more competitive bids in the bidding process, which is about 95 percent complete, with bids still out for window treatments and one other bid that is being changed because of an error in the first submitted bid. 
She said everyone working on the project has been wonderful, including superintendent Wiles, district facilities director Michael Simmons and many subcontractors. She praised Groathouse Construction for a good job overseeing the various subcontractors. 
“They have such experience and a good reputation that they deserve,” she said. “They are one of the best construction companies in the region and we’re lucky to have them.”
Wiles added that Wilson Bros. Construction of Cowley has worked hard through the tough winter to keep the project on schedule. He said he is happy to be working on a well-thought-out design by Plan One Architects.