Construction project impact LJH, PHS, & WDA

Several construction projects happening in Plymouth will have an impact on the start of school on Wednesday, August 7th.

The City of Plymouth awarded the 2023 Community Crossing Matching Grant project for Gibson & LaPorte Streets to E&B Paving in July 2023 with anticipation that work would be done by the end of the 2023 paving season.  E&B told the city they were booked up through September 2023, so it was determined the best thing to do was to begin the project once school let out at the end of May this year.

Street Superintendent Jim Marquardt said work started in mid-June with construction on LaPorte Street first. Construction on Gibson Street didn’t get underway until mid-July.  Now due to the ongoing street construction, Gibson Street won't be ready for the first day of school on Wednesday, August 7th. This will affect student drop off and pick up at Lincoln Junior High and the students at the Lincoln Education Center.

On Friday the Plymouth School Corporation released information for a temporary drop-off and pick-up route at Lincoln Jr. High.  PCSC Superintendent Mitch Mawhorter told WTCA, “Gibson Street is more of an issue right now.  Cars will be funneled into the normal car line from Liberty, then they will make a loop and go back out the same way.  This is going to be messy, and parents should plan on a longer than normal wait in the car line.”  Students attending classes at the Lincoln Education Center will also enter off Liberty Street and park in the lot.

Over at Washington Discover Academy, the school corporation has invested nearly a million dollars to improve driveways, parking, sidewalks, and drainage.

On Friday, Mawhorter told WTCA, “Milestone is putting the base asphalt down today, and they are planning to work Saturday.  They need to add a tacky surface on top of this base, then they will top this off with two inches of asphalt.  The tacky surface cannot be exposed to rain so we will try to dodge any foul weather.  It should be drive-able for Monday, but it was unclear when they would be able to stripe the lot.  Worst case scenario is we start without the lines.” 

The Marshall County Career Innovation Center at Plymouth High School is in the construction phase.  With the construction at the back (east side) of the building, the high school buses will be letting students off at door one on the front (west side) of PHS this year due to the construction.  Student drivers will still enter through door #5 off the north lot.  Parents will drop students off and pick up students on the Weidner School Of Inquiry or east side of the school.  The superintendent warned drivers that the gate from the north parking lots to the south parking lot near the administration office will be permanently closed.

 Superintendent Mawhorter told WTCA that Safety Director Ward Byers has reached out to the city for extra help, and School Resource Officers Steve DeLee will be helping direct traffic at WDA while Bridget Hite will police the high school.