Students will return to new roofs, floors, lockers, more
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| SNP photo by Dan
Trittschuh Bobby Rhodus (center), an employee with Nations Roof, cuts a square of roofing material for the new roof being placed on Evening Street Elementary School. |
By PAMELA WILLIS
Almost as soon as Worthington students raced out school
doors in early June, crews moved in to paint, install
flooring and lockers, and facilitate a variety of repairs
that will continue through this month and most of August.
Tim Gehring, director of facility management, said construction crews are working on facility improvements in most of the buildings this summer for a total of about $3.9 million, paid for by district bond money.
"We literally began some projects the day after students left, while teachers were still in the building," Gehring said. "We really have such a narrow window of time to complete the work, so every day matters.
"We have a great group of contractors working with us though, and we really have to become a team to get all the work done," he said.
A few buildings will receive major roofing redos, Gehring said.
"Evening Street is getting a new roof, as is the guidance center at Thomas Worthington High School, and the Dow Nelson Fieldhouse," he said. "We're also installing new boilers at Colonial Hills, McCord Middle School and Worthington Hills and new air-conditioning equipment at Sutter Park and air-conditioning mechanicals at Wilson Hill."
Flooring surfaces are being replaced at Worthington Park, Granby and Bluffsview, along with the corridors at McCord Middle School and surfaces on the first floor of Worthington Kilbourne High School, Gehring said.
"We're also replacing the tennis courts and resurfacing the track at Kilbourne this year, as we did at Thomas last year," he said, "and improving drainage in the basements at Linworth and Thomas Worthington."
Gehring said gymnasium lockers will be replaced at Perry and Worthingway middle schools, and playground blacktop surfaces will be renewed at Sutter Park, Evening Street and Granby elementary schools.
All of the projects will be paid for with funds from the $37.5 million bond issue approved by voters in November 2006, allotted for capital improvements that include facilities, transportation and technology.
Gehring said the original allocation for facility improvements from bond funds was $18.7 million.
The fiscal expenditure for facilities in 2007 was just $214,890, with about $2.5 million spent during the 2008 fiscal year, which ended in June.
"It has been an exciting summer," Gehring said. "We had a couple of weeks of rain, which delayed some projects, but we expect everything to be completed on schedule, by Aug. 15.
"It's nice to finally have the dollars to do these repairs," he said.
Gehring said the district keeps a list of priority repairs, but circumstances can make one project jump to the top of the list.
"Without question, the Evening Street roof jumped to the top of the list this summer, because we started getting small roof leaks during the winter," he said.
"It's nice to finally have the
dollars to do these repairs."
--Tim Gehring
Tim Gehring, director of facility management, said construction crews are working on facility improvements in most of the buildings this summer for a total of about $3.9 million, paid for by district bond money.
"We literally began some projects the day after students left, while teachers were still in the building," Gehring said. "We really have such a narrow window of time to complete the work, so every day matters.
"We have a great group of contractors working with us though, and we really have to become a team to get all the work done," he said.
A few buildings will receive major roofing redos, Gehring said.
"Evening Street is getting a new roof, as is the guidance center at Thomas Worthington High School, and the Dow Nelson Fieldhouse," he said. "We're also installing new boilers at Colonial Hills, McCord Middle School and Worthington Hills and new air-conditioning equipment at Sutter Park and air-conditioning mechanicals at Wilson Hill."
Flooring surfaces are being replaced at Worthington Park, Granby and Bluffsview, along with the corridors at McCord Middle School and surfaces on the first floor of Worthington Kilbourne High School, Gehring said.
"We're also replacing the tennis courts and resurfacing the track at Kilbourne this year, as we did at Thomas last year," he said, "and improving drainage in the basements at Linworth and Thomas Worthington."
Gehring said gymnasium lockers will be replaced at Perry and Worthingway middle schools, and playground blacktop surfaces will be renewed at Sutter Park, Evening Street and Granby elementary schools.
All of the projects will be paid for with funds from the $37.5 million bond issue approved by voters in November 2006, allotted for capital improvements that include facilities, transportation and technology.
Gehring said the original allocation for facility improvements from bond funds was $18.7 million.
The fiscal expenditure for facilities in 2007 was just $214,890, with about $2.5 million spent during the 2008 fiscal year, which ended in June.
"It has been an exciting summer," Gehring said. "We had a couple of weeks of rain, which delayed some projects, but we expect everything to be completed on schedule, by Aug. 15.
"It's nice to finally have the dollars to do these repairs," he said.
Gehring said the district keeps a list of priority repairs, but circumstances can make one project jump to the top of the list.
"Without question, the Evening Street roof jumped to the top of the list this summer, because we started getting small roof leaks during the winter," he said.
"It's nice to finally have the
dollars to do these repairs."
--Tim Gehring