Huron High Opening Delayed Until Next Fall

School Supt. W. Scott Westerman Jr. announced last night Huron High School will not be ready for occupancy until September of 1969- two years later than originally planned. He also announced the doublé shift instituted last fall in the Pioneer High School Building will continue for the second semester, with Pioneer students attending classes from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Huron students going to school from 1 to 6 p.m. Rumors had apparently beenl circulating that a switch wouldl take place and Huron High stu-J dents would attend classes inl the morning next semester. School Board Presiden I Joseph R. Julin said thil trustees accepted the newsl "with real regret." On Sept. 11, the planner-ex I pediter for the Ann Arbor Pub! lic Schools, Sooren Gozmanian, I told the trustees there was anj 80 per cent chance Huron High] would open in February. Last! night, h o w e v e r , Gozmanianj said all classr ooms andj administrative wings will notl be completed until May 7, 1969. Gozmanian stated the gymna-j sium will be completed by Aug. 1, 1969, and the auditorium by Aug. 15. Site work and outside building work will be finished by this summér, he added. Gozmanian said the new completion dates were arrived at after a "real thorough anal-! ysis" by the contractor and arei considered "realistic" if the] manpower situation remains stable. Robert Schmina of A. Z. Sehmina and Sons, the general! contractors for the high school, blamed the 3V2-month spring construction strike, the deerhunting season and the upcoming holidays for the delay. Schmina said one entire crew ,walked off the job for two weeks last month to go deerhunting- a move he said was a "complete, utter disruption." Asked about the possibility of la work stoppage tfais spring, [Schmina said it was a bility" but a "minimal" one. Even if there is a strike this spring, he said, the opening of the high school would not be delayed past next fall. (There are very few trades whose contracts will expire this spring). Trustee Hazen J. Schumacher Jr., af ter hearing the announcement, declared it is "absolutely crucial" for the district to begin plans immediately for the third senior high school. He said traditionally Ann Arbor is behind schedule with its school buildings, and crowded conditions will exist again if the third high school does not get under way soon. Trustee William C. Godfrey agreed, saying the defeat of last year's Jan. 8 bonding issue - of which the funds for the third senior high were a large portion- has cost the Ann Arbor taxpayers a "very substantial amount" because of continually rising construction costs. He said a "yes" vote on the Dec. 18 school bonding issue would be a "prudent" and "wise business decisión" on the part of the taxpayers in view of the construction cost situation. Schmina told the trustees he expected construction costs to continue to rise, especially in 1970 when most workers' contracts again come up for renewal. He said 1969 would probably be a better year for contract bids than 1970, however. Westerman said present plans cali for a bonding issue to finance the third senior high next fall. But he said he would investígate the possibility of scheduling one sooner, perhaps