Pine-Richland using summer break to focus on improvement projects

Work on an ambitious list of projects is underway in the Pine-Richland School District.

More than three dozen projects totaling $12 million are being done, including major upgrades at the high school, the stadium and the middle school along with smaller improvements in all other buildings.

Dana Kirk, the district’s director of financial and operational services, said Pine-Richland did not borrow to pay for the projects.

District officials began setting money aside last year as part of its capital funding plan and added more to the fund again this year, she said.

“For these two fiscal years, there were no bond issues or debt incurred to offset the costs,” she said. “Essentially, these projects are being funded by a combination of assigned fund balance for capital improvements, operational costs factored into the general fund and funds previously set aside in the capital reserve fund for this purpose.”

The most expensive project is nearly $5.4 million worth of improvements to the high school gym, which includes work on the locker rooms, storage areas and team rooms. Demolition began in April with a target for completion in the fall.

The high school gymnasium also is getting a new scoreboard at a cost of $282,100.

The distinctive red running track that encircles the football field at the stadium has been replaced with a black one with grey accents. Also included in the $350,000 running-track project are new fencing, painting and repairs to the stadium steps and the lighting system.

A new scoreboard at the baseball field will cost $40,000.

The second priciest project underway this summer is a nearly $4.97 million replacement of the heating, cooling and ventilation system at the middle school.

“This was a project we had some concerns about,” Jeffrey Zimmerman, the district’s director of facilities management told the school board during a project update this summer.

“It’s an older building and one of the options was to put in more rooftop units,” he said. “But we couldn’t do it because the space between the ceiling for the classrooms and the roof deck is very shallow and would be a lot of very tight work.”

To address that problem, the district is installing a system of “stand up” units that will be camouflaged so they “look just like it’s a piece of furniture in the room.”

Plans call for installing 51 unit ventilators in the classrooms, a chilled-water piping system and 14 rooftop units.

Superintendent Brian Miller said they are closely monitoring the installation of the air-handling system at the middle school because the district’s capital plan over the next three to five years calls for spending upwards of $20 million to improve the ventilation systems.

“The middle school HVAC (installation) is one to watch, for sure,” he said during the June 26 school board meeting. “We have multiple other buildings with significant HVAC needs, so we‘re trying to monitor how that’s going.”

Board member Carla Meyer said the new HVAC system at the middle school will be a big improvement after learning “firsthand” about one of the problems with the old one.

She told the board that she participated in a cultural diversity focus group with students and it was very difficult to hear in the classroom when the HVAC system was running.

Other work at the middle school this summer includes replacing the auditorium doors and window blinds, improving the lighting, replacing the dust collector in the wood shop and removing asbestos floor tile from the building.

In addition to the work in the athletics department at the high school, the building is getting lighting upgrades, improvements to the restrooms, repair or replacement of damaged terrazzo flooring and interior painting.

The district also is earmarking $50,000 for repairs to the high school roof and evaluating the condition of the roofs on other district buildings.

Work at the high school was marred by tragedy on July 13 when a construction worker died after falling through a hole in the roof that was cut for the HVAC system.

Joseph Gazzo, 44, of Verona was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. District officials extended their condolences to the victim’s family and friends.

Students are scheduled to return to classes from summer break on Aug. 24.

Following is some of the work being done at the district’s other buildings:

Hance Elementary

• Repair/replace HVAC system: $16,500

• Repair to the electrical system: $7,500

• Exterior lighting improvements: $14,990

Richland Elementary

• Lighting upgrades: $48,500

Wexford Elementary

• Playground improvements: $51,000

• Lighting upgrades: $26,775

• Sidewalk repairs: $10,000

• Tree removal: $ 10,000

Eden Hall Upper Elementary

• Replace rubber mulch: $40,000

• Repair/replace section of cafeteria flooring: $5,000

• Replace boiler room door: $5,000

• Outdoor classroom concrete pad and walkway: $23,000

• Lighting upgrades: $35,277 s