Sussex Consortium nears completion

Cape district officials said work at the Sussex Consortium will be complete by the end of August.

Director of Capital Projects Brian Bassett said the second gym is finished, pool work is nearly done and the site is being cleaned up in anticipation of the first day of school, Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Originally set to open March 16, the $44 million, state-funded school for special-needs students is an option to all county school district students with an educational classification of autism. 

In 2016, Delaware agreed to purchase 26 acres fronting Sweetbriar Road, Lewes, and pay costs to construct the Consortium; original plans called for a 67,000-square-foot building with 28 classrooms.

Construction began in May 2018, but the original timetable was set back after the state awarded additional funding in August 2018, allowing for an indoor pool, 18 additional classrooms and a second gym.