By Mike Russo
School district officials hosted a district-wide tour of the completed projects at the beginning of October, where they were joined by members of the school board and Superintendent of Schools, Dr. James Mapes.
According to Baldwin school district officials, the bond contained 94 capital improvement projects which were spread over the elementary, middle and high schools and three district-wide projects. The projects, done in conjunction with the H2M Group, the district's selected architectural and engineering contractor, have all been completed with the exception of one outstanding heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) project at Baldwin High School. All were completed with no outstanding issues, litigation or contractor default. Currently, the projects are ahead of schedule and under budget.
Elementary school projects include a new public address system that allows individual classrooms to communicate with each other in addition to the main office for situations such as a lockdown. Other projects include landscaping, irrigation work, flooring replacement and electrical service equipment upgrades. Ventilation and exhaust systems were upgraded as well.
At Baldwin Middle School, many of the windows were replaced with windows that are both hurricane proof and help to regulate the temperature inside the classrooms. Tinting placed on the windows are angled to receive less direct sunlight in the summer, when the sun is higher, resulting in cooler classrooms. The tints have the opposite effect in the winter. The outdoor running track, formerly composed of cinder ash, was replaced with a new weather-safe rubberized surface. Irrigation was improved where the track meets the field to prevent flooding on the fields.
Baldwin High School had work done in nearly every department, including window replacements, athletic field refurbishment and irrigation, flooring replacements, science lab and auditorium upgrades, and roofing and masonry repairs.
One of the largest undertakings was replacement of the boilers in all of the schools, where the district installed new dual- use boilers that burn both gas and oil and are more efficient than the previous boilers. While gas is currently less expensive than oil, the district does not have enough coming into the building to completely power the schools, but they are currently negotiating with the National Grid to get more. At the high school, only two out of the three new dual use boilers operate at a given time, with one serving as the lead burner. Under this "lag-lead system," each of the three burners operate equally and as a result will last longer. H2M project coordinator Jason Smith explained that the school could operate with only two boilers and if it had to only one, but that having the three will extend the life span of all of them.
A combination of replacement and refurbishment of roofing, windows, masonry and boilers will help the district save money on future energy costs. The district spent more money on energy costs last year, but that can be largely attributed to the increase in fuel prices. District officials estimated that the district would have seen a 10 to 15 percent decrease in energy costs during the previous school year if prices remained consistent.
The construction bond focused on safety issues as well. The walkway to the main entrance of the high school, known as the 600 Wing, was once sandwiched between a dumpster and the school's parking lot - resulting in a dangerous situation with students walking in the same area as delivery trucks pulling in and out. The contractor moved the dumpster and put a barrier between the walkway and the parking lot, resulting in a safer and wider space for students to walk. Another safety concern was addressed just inside the 600 Wing, where students were using a single door to walk through the hallway while students coming from outside tried to safely merge with the flow. The contractor solved that problem simply by adding another hallway door to serve as a second lane of traffic.
According to Mike Sheehan, Director of Facilities and Operations for the school district, students and staff were very pleased with the improvements done over the last four years. Sheehan, who oversaw all of the projects, said a lot of the staff in individual departments volunteered their time to help with the projects, pointing out a lot of the little things that the experts might have overlooked.
"Getting from one point to another is a very difficult one," said Sheehan. "You ever see those 'flipping houses' shows? Those people spend $30,000 in a 10-week period. We're spending $30 million in a short period of time, virtually the summer months. You could probably multiply what you see on those shows by 1,000."
"I think the projects were very well done." said Baldwin Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Mapes. "A lot of it was done with energy efficiency so in the long run it will save taxpayers money."
For more information about the 2004 construction bond projects, including additional photos, visit http://www.baldwin.k12.ny.us/
bpresentations.htm.
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
