by Jolene Toves

Guam - Renovations to the Untalan Middle School campus in Barrigada are ahead of schedule, as Department of Education superintendent Jon Fernandez toured the school to see for himself what progress has been made.

"So I'm about to do my own walk through of the site from what I understand from all the project management team and the contractor is we are on schedule maybe even a week or two early but what I want to do is come here and validate it for myself," he said.

With a very tight time frame to move into the campus and prepare for next school year Fernandez says his walk-through earlier today is to see what work is left to be done, noting, "As you can see they started the work on the inside of the building and are now coming out to level and grade the parking lot and do the ponding basin in the back so it still looks a little bit messy but I hear from the experts we are on pace."

The target deadline for the completion of UMS is July 15, but things are already underway in anticipation of the move. Fernandez said, "Well, right now because Untalan Middle School at the Tiyan campus the school is already closed out for the year we are going to be starting taking some of that equipment maybe next week."

Fernandez says the equipment will be staged in either the DOE warehouse or in the school's gym so that it is easier to move in once the renovations are complete.