The Oxford Schools Board of Education gave the go ahead at their last regular meeting for approximately $50,000 in construction work to be done over the summer outside of the district’s bond issue.
The additional construction was presented by Assistant Superintendent Ron Franey during board and administrator comments. The work will include turning the music room at Oxford Elementary into a standard classroom and expanding the restroom facilities in the transportation building.
‘Last year, we established a new Capital Improvement Fund ($600,000). Well, now is the time to use some of it,? Franey wrote in a memo to Superintendent Virginia Brennan-Kyro and board members. ‘We have had two requests which we have approved with your blessings.?
The work at Oxford Elementary is projected to cost $17,890. The need for the additional standard instruction space was determined based on student count numbers.
In a phone interview, Franey explained that Curriculum Director Karen Eckert looked at the student count projections for the upcoming school year, and compared them to staff availability and the facility study done previously for the district. Through her investigation, Eckert determined that Oxford Elementary would be the only building in need of additional space since the graduating fifth grade class is smaller than the incoming Daniel Axford second grade class.
Franey stated that by changing the music room into a classroom, administrators would be able to avoid any redistricting for this school year. Last year, officials redistricted almost 200 students from Lakeville Elementary to Leonard Elementary because of overcrowding, and expected to redistrict more this year due to overcrowding at Clear Lake and Oxford elementaries.
‘We’re not rushing to do anymore redistricting until we see where the people are moving,? said Franey. ‘We don’t know where new developments may come in and we don’t want to rush into it.?
According to a cost projection sheet presented to board members, just some of the work to be done to the current OES music room includes removing the wood railing on the mezzanine, placing partition walls from the mezzanine to the ceiling, creating a new drop ceiling, building a demising partition wall at the stairwell to create a ceiling line, and installing new lighting. No heating work is included and the existing lighting fixtures will be ‘abandoned in place.?
Music for the building will be moved to the school’s cafeteria, and scheduling will be done around the lunch hour.
Franey said he worked with OES Principal Debbie Stout, the school’s head custodian and a representative from Etkin Skanska, Inc., the company currently managing the district’s bond issue, to create several designs for the room. After selecting the best design, Skanska provided cost estimates for the work.
‘OES is under the legal bid amount for the state (which is $17,932),? said Franey. ‘We haven’t fully decided 100 percent who is doing the work.?
Several long-standing problems at the Oxford Schools transportation building have led to the need to improve the department’s restroom facilities.
Particularly over the past few years, the transportation department has had a large number of employees using limited restroom facilities. The memo from Franey states ‘there are two stalls for approximately 30 women.? In addition, the site has had numerous problems with the septic tanks and field backing up. In fact, the district has needed to clean the system a couple times this year alone.
The project will include removing the current facilities, and remodeling the area to include four stalls and new furnishings. One stall will be large enough for handicapped use. No work is scheduled to be done on the septic system.
The entire project will cost $30,185.66, including a five percent contingency of $1,437.41. Since the project is over the state bid amount, Franey said the work will be bid ‘in some fashion.?
When asked why upgrades were not made to the transportation building as a part of the bond issue, Franey stated that schools and classroom space are placed as priorities in such instances. Quite often, he added, ‘transportation is not put at the top of the list.?
‘You can call it an oversight,? said Franey. ‘Some how it never got identified in the bond issue.?
Creating the engineering plans for the two projects and receiving price estimates did not cost the district any money. Franey stated that Skanska ‘just did it because they are here.?
Both projects will begin shortly after school releases for the summer, and both will be completed at the start of the 2004-2005 school year.