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JA Schools prepare for construction and renovation
(by Sandi Latimer, Staff Writer - February 10, 2010)
Jonathan Alder Local Schools are nearing a deadline to ask for bids for construction of an elementary school and the renovation of a middle school.
At its Feb. 8 meeting, the school board saw drawings of the two buildings. Architect Andrew Maletz of SHP, a design company from Columbus, said the design work is nearly complete.
"We'll be able to advertise for bids next week," said Maletz in reference to bids being sought the week of Feb. 14.
The first bids to be advertised will be for site preparation. Bids for the construction will be advertised the first week of March. Companies will have three weeks to submit their bids for the work.
Jonathan Alder Superintendent Doug Carpenter envisions the elementary school will be ready for the 2011-12 school year. with heavy construction work to start as soon as the school year ends. He doesn't expect students to be disrupted or moved to another facility while renovations are being made to the Canaan Middle School.
"It worked well at Monroe Elementary School and it should work here," he said.
To prepare for that work he added, "We're going through a safety plan for the students during construction.Work will be going on while students are in another part of the building. We have to keep them separated from the work and keep them safe."
Carpenter said moving students to another building during construction would create added costs. Still to be worked out is who is paying for the added square footage for Canaan Middle School. Most of the work will be completed by the start of the 2011-12 school year, with finishing touches being put on the media center.
Board member Dr. John Adams said the state allocates a certain amount of square footage per student. He said the addition of stairwells and an elevator for access to the second floor of the addition puts the building over the square footage allocation and posing the question of who is paying for that added space.
Most of the money is coming from state funds.
The district is going through Phase 2 of its building plan. This includes the $18 million elementary school which will be erected south of Plain City on Plain City-Georgesville Road and the $8 million renovation of Canaan Middle School on U.S. Route 42. Those renovations include adding classrooms and removing the third floor of the building.
The board went into executive session to talk about the disposition of the elementary school in Plain City, which will be replaced by the new building.
Carpenter said the village of Plain City is interested in the building as a location to consolidate its offices that are scattered throughout the village. Adams said village officials will join school leaders on a tour of that building.
However, Carpenter cautioned talks are in a preliminary stage and the district still owns the building and could use it for school uses.
The superintendent's office, the conference room where the board meets, and a couple other rooms on the second floor of the Jonathan Alder High School could be turned into classrooms if and when the need arises, Carpenter said.
"We could then move down to that building," he said.
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