Binghamton School Could Be Ready in Six Months

Construction on the new MacArthur Elementary School on Binghamton's South Side is expected to be completed by mid-November.

Work on the $80 million project on Vestal Avenue is continuing and it appears the facility will be turned over to the school district in less than six months.

Superintendent Marion Martinez said the project is under budget at this stage. She said she's hoping that will continue to be the case.

Martinez said the brutally-cold winter seemed to have been the biggest challenge for those working on the project. She noted a lot of progress occurred despite the harsh weather conditions.

The superintendent said many local contractors are involved in  building the school. She said they have "a sense of pride" in their work on the project.

Martinez said the targeted "substantial completion date" for the school remains November 16.

Classes for the school's 450 students have been held at temporary sites in Hillcrest and on Binghamton's West Side.

Martinez said the younger students will move into the school first. That's now expected to happen by the end of November.

The current schedule calls for older children to start at the new facility in January after the holiday break.

The complex is being built on the site of the old MacArthur Elementary School, which was torn down after it sustained heavy damage in the 2011 flood.

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