One Year 'till It Opens, Wellington Tops Off

One year nearly to the day it will open its doors for the first time, teachers, administrators, staff and Principal Amy Wagner came to the construction site to celebrate a turning point in the building of the new Wellington  Elementary School.

Joining construction workers and contractor Skanska USA Buiilding in searing heat on Tuesday, Aug. 31, , the educators signed their signatures or wrote messages on a white beam that marks the final steel segment secured on the three-story building. 

See the video of the ceremony on this page.

"Setting this beam marks a milestone" in the construction of the building, said Dan Lanneville, senior project manager with Skanska USA Building, the lead contractor for the Wellington.

Lanneville said laying the beam is a ceremonial event as the building's skeleton is in place and work on the exterior and interior can begin in earnest. He said the building is "right on schedule" to meet the proposed deadline of opening for the 2011-2012 school year.