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Overcast An up-close look at the schools
District 13 board checks out construction work past and future
Wheeler Avenue School’s auditorium will be getting a facelift within the next few years, as District 13 officials announced plans to refurbish the 89-year-old facility at the annual building tour last Saturday morning.
Board members, administrators, teachers and community members toured the district’s four elementary schools on Dec. 7, looking at capital projects that have been completed in past years, as well as work that needs to be done. Wheeler’s auditorium was front and center.
Although district officials want to maintain the historic look of the room, which dates back to the school’s construction in 1924, they admit it is a little worn. The want to replace the original wood seats with padded ones, similar to those installed in the James A. Dever School auditorium a few years ago.
Officials want to preserve the historic posts at the end of each row of seats, which includes the District 13 insignia. They are looking to have those removed, sandblasted, repainted and put back once new seats go in. While that project is still a few years away, the plan is to start putting aside money next year, as the cost is expected to top $300,000 including repairing the floor.
Over the holiday break, it is expected that a second set of windows will be installed in the auditorium. Money for that work has already been set aside.
During the tour, school board members saw much of the work that was done during the recent $5.5 million energy performance contract. The project included new boilers at each school, lighting controls and weather stripping around the doors and windows.
The district will pay for the work through the energy savings it will achieve each year. Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Robb-Fund said there are still a few odds and ends to take care of, and the energy project should be completed by March.
Board members got a look at new doors that were installed at the main entrance of Wheeler. Principal Dr. Gayle Steele said that the frame still needs to be painted to match the doors, but that work will have to wait for the warmer weather.
Howell Road School will also be getting new front doors over the winter break, a project that has been in the works for several years.
The principals at Howell, Dever and Willow Road, as they have for several years, requested that their respective gymnasiums be painted. Dever Principal Darren Gruen said classrooms are painted on a regular basis, but painting the gym is a more complicated job. It requires scaffolding to reach the high walls and ceiling.
The cost to paint one gymnasium is $25,000. For years, the work has been put off because of the financial climate, but the principals may have finally found a supporter. “I think it’s time we buckled down and paint the gymnasiums already,” board Trustee Joseph DiSibio said.
Board members were concerned about a fence adjacent to the parking lot at the Willow Road School. They say it is in bad shape, could be dangerous, and needs to be replaced soon. The cost would be about $10,000.
At Dever, work is continuing to replace original sinks and countertops in the kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. Gruen said only three more rooms need the work done, which includes the addition of a water fountain.
Board of Education Trustee Jeanne Greco-Jacobs, noting that the most of the district’s buildings are around 60 years old, said they should consider adopting a schedule to replace originals ceilings and floors in the classrooms. She said it is a significant amount of money but could be done over several years to spread out the cost, similar to what was done in the high school district.
Tentatively, the district has $615,000 worth of work it is considering for next year, including funding to replace to side blacktop area at Willow Road, new exit doors at various locations in all four schools, and a handicapped ramp at the Howell Road School.
Projects could be added or removed as the board begins its discussions to create the preliminary 2014-15 budget.
