The new Friends Meeting School may have cause for celebration, but as Annette Breiling, head of the school, can tell you, the hard work has just begun.

"I've been telling the children we're going on an adventure in September," Breiling said.

With the school planning to open its doors in October, the 10 students and two hired teachers plan to spend the first month of the school year in a rented church space in the area.

Breiling said that the Friends school studied its options, one of which was a modular classroom formerly used for a day care center.

"We changed our mind about that," Breiling said. "We decided it would cost too much to fix it up the way we wanted."

The Friends Meeting School orginally intended to begin construction last spring, in time not only for the 1997-1998 school year but a summer session before that. However, two major factors contributed to the delay in the school's construction.

First, engineering feasibility studies, which determine whether the land is viable, came up with a few unexpected requirements. Water and sewer expenses were larger than developers had originally planned, grading studies were required, and the state highway near the school's entrance must be widened.

Another factor was that the owner of the land, Elizabeth Gray, has been seeking another "like kind exchange" property she can purchase with the money from the sale of this prooperty. An exchange would enable her to avoid a capital gains tax.

As an interim device to allow construction to get underway, a ground lease was signed on Saturday at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The timing of the property sale may be as soon as September, but could be delayed indefinitely if negotiations for the other property fall through, according to school literature.

"It's been taking our lawyers a long time," Breiling said.

The first building will be four adjoining classrooms for about 70 students. A second building for additional classrooms and living quarters for Breiling will begin in 1998.