Gateway project needs steel soon

School District 6 is finding it's not immune to supply chain problems that are plaguing manufacturing across the U.S. Vertical structural steel for the new Glacier Gateway Elementary School was supposed to arrive in August.

So far, just one shipment of the 10 total needed has arrived, said school construction representative Dave Jolly at Monday’s board meeting.

The project isn’t behind schedule yet, he said — crews have been able to do other work, but it needs to arrive soon.

“It does put pressure on the job,” he said.

The steel will be welded together onsite, he said.

He said concrete deliveries have also been delayed.

The school is scheduled to be open by fall of next year.

The Ruder Elementary remodel is going better. Crews are working on installing a new roof and trusses in the old building and the classrooms are framed in. It should be completed by Christmas.

The problem at Ruder has been furniture, principal Brenda Krueger said.

The school ordered new furniture, but it has sometimes arrived in bits a pieces. For example, the desks have the chairs and framework, but no tops. Tables have arrived with tops, but no legs.

There are a myriad of reasons for the supply problems. The coronavirus pandemic caused increased demand as people shopped for stuff from home instead of spending elsewhere. The nation’s ports are overwhelmed and outdated and there’s a shortage of truckers and other transportation workers, a story in the Washington Post recently noted.