By ANDREA FURLONG
Williamburg School Board members received updates on the preK-1 addition at Mary Welsh Elementary at an Aug. 18 board meeting.
Duane Musser from MMS Consultants, the civil engineering firm for the Mary Welsh addition, estimated site improvements will cost $107,671. That figure includes 60 additional public parking spaces and handicapped spots on the west side of the current parking lot; a two-lane, one-way, drop-off route for parents; another through lane; additional lighting; and relocation of storm sewers, hydrants and trees to clear space for the addition.
Board member Mark Armstrong expressed safety concerns about moving the distance from the future drop-off lane to the new addition, which will be located on the opposite end of the school.
“The little kindergartners and first graders are going to be clear over (on the east side) and they’re going to have to walk clear over (to the west side) to get picked up. And then the other thing is security. We don’t have anybody over there,” he said.
Superintendent Dr. Carol Montz said the school would make sure at least one staff member would escort younger students for pick-ups and drop-offs. She added that while she didn’t believe it was ideal, parents will likely drop off their preK-1 students closer to the addition than the new drop-off point anyway.
“People are going to want to drop their kindergartners off at the new wing and not want to go all the way around. You will still have kids coming in that way, unless you prohibit that in some way,” she said.
Montz said once the new addition is built, the school will encourage the main door to be used only by students riding the bus and the west door to be used by students being dropped off.
Musser estimated the parking lot project could be bid this fall, with construction to start in June of 2011.
MARY WELSH INTERIOR CHOICES
Neumann Monson architects Kevin Monson and Alese Van Holland gave the board a preview of interior of the Mary Welsh addition.
The corridors and restrooms of the 10-classroom addition will be floored with no-wax porcelain tiles with accent colors of red, yellow, green, blue and gray. Van Holland estimated the flooring will cost $9.50 to $11.50 per square foot and will last up to 25 years.
Monson said porcelain tiles will wear well and will be easier to care for than traditional tiling choices for schools.
“It’s going to look cleaner and we don’t have to use harsh chemicals (to clean it), so it’s a lot healthier,” he said.
Eggshell-colored rubber flooring will be used inside the eight classrooms. Van Holland said rubber flooring is very durable, absorbs sound well, is low maintenance and is more comfortable for standing and sitting than traditional tile.
“We get the advantages of carpet without the disadvantages of carpet,” Monson said.
She added that the rubber surface is slip-resistant, stain-resistant and does not show indentations from furniture or equipment.
“You can drag your desks across it easily and not scratch it,” she said.
Van Holland estimated the cost of the rubber flooring to be $16.50 per square foot. Both types of flooring are in the budget, she said.
Monson said he expects plans for the addition to be finished sometime in September, so the project can be bid in October.
HIRES AND RESIGNATIONS
The board approved the resignations of four staff members: Larry Holton, special education associate; Jared Kleinmeyer, junior high football coach; Mandy Landuyt, special education associate, and Brian Bacon, night custodian
Six staff members were hired: Jennifer Miller as tech lab instructor at Mary Welsh Elementary, Deb Troyer as a teacher’s associate, Max Turner as a special education associate, Nancy Pallardy as yearbook advisor, Nick Duffy as speech and drama director and Trilby Owens as a teacher’s associate.
IN OTHER BUSINESS
The board approved:
• A contract with Piper Jaffray to act as the financial advisor for the sale of all general obligation bonds. Piper Jaffray will be paid 1/4 of 1 percent of the par amount of notes sold. The payment shall be at least $12,500, but will not exceed $15,000.
• A $25,000 bid from Chuck Shaull to demolish the old bus barn.
• Belland Construction’s bid of $2,601 for the purchase of a metal storage building.
• Purchasing a used 2007, 78-passenger Thomas bus for $56,700.
• Terminating the current lease for the Parker Farm.
• Issuing $7.7 million of Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) bonds through the Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCB) program. A division of Capital One is purchasing the bonds. The school will pay back the amount borrowed on the bonds over the next 17 years through 2027 at an interest rate of 1.5 percent. The money will be used toward renovations at the high school.
• Three separate contracts for Neumann Monson. The salary is as follows: 9 percent of the total construction cost of the Mary Welsh addition, 9.5 percent of the total construction cost of a locker room addition to the high school and 7.5 percent of the construction cost for renovation at the high school.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the media center of the high school.
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