Willow Dale Opens On Schedule

Late Tuesday afternoon, Willow Dale parents began receiving messages from Centennial School District that the building had received its occupancy permit from Warminster Township and that school would start on Wednesday as originally scheduled.

"It was very important to me that we kept our promise and open on time," said superintendant Dr. Jennifer Cressman to a group of parents that had gathered Tuesday night at Log College for a community meeting about the school.

Dr. Cressman ordered three rounds of air quality tests for last Friday, Sunday and Tuesday to ensure that the filtration and circulation systems worked properly. The analysts gave her clean reports each time, but the Warminster Fire Marshal still needed one more inspection before signing off on the permit.

The walkthrough uncovered a problem with the phone line connected to the alarm system. Dr. Cressman immediately called the construction management company, which rushed to repair the line in time for Warminster to make the final inspection and sign off.

"It literally came down to the wire," said Dr. Cressman.

While the classrooms are complete and the hallways are mostly clean and clear, one look around the facility showed plenty of work left to be completed. The library shelves are empty, musical instruments line the halls and cafeteria is not serving food, to name a few.

During the meeting last night, Dr. Cressman, Assistant Superintendant of Operation William Gretton and acting Principal Michael Donelly addressed each of these issues. The transfer of books from Leary to Willow Dale is underway, they said, and should be ready by late next Friday at the very latest.

The art and music rooms should also be completed by next week. The cafeteria still needs to be cleared by the Bucks County Department of Health, which will visit the school on Friday for an inspection. If passed, the school will begin serving meals on Monday. Until then, cold breakfast and lunch options, such as sandwiches, salads and yogurt, will be prepared at Log College and trucked over to the "Hard Hat Cafe."

Dr. Cressman also told parents Tuesday night that the search for a permanent prinicpal is underway, with interviews planned for mid-October. It is Dr. Cressman's intention to have a panel made up of school board members, Willow Dale faculty and two parents to help find the perfect replacement for Dr. Donna Dunar. In the meantime, Donnelly and acting Assistant Principal Julia Henrich will continue to oversee the school's operations.