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Board prioritizes improvement projects at CCHS |
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Saturday, March 07 2009 |
By Chris Meyers
Staff writer
With the start of summer vacation fast approaching, officials at Columbia City High School have prioritized the list of possible renovations that could take place during summer.
From ADA accessibility, to roof repairs, overhauling the climate control system and installing a new sign, the list includes all the repairs that could be made to the building as allowed by the budget.
“I think it’s a good plan,” Gregg Goewert, CCHS principal, said at this week’s board of school trustees meeting.
Topping the list are changes to make the building accessible for people with limited mobility or who use wheelchairs.
Updating the elevator with a system that doesn’t require a key, putting a ramp where a lift currently is, installing accessible lockers and changes to the auditorium are on the list.
Goewert proposed cutting the right half of the wood-paneled wall inside the entrance of the auditorium to a much lower height as a way to create a seating area for people in wheelchairs where they could easily watch performances.
The total proposed cost for ADA improvements is $29,700, but as with all the other items, the prices are early estimates.
“Our numbers are very rough and basically windshield estimates,” Tony Zickgraf, business manager for WCCS, said.
The district has about $600,000 total budgeted from 2008 and 2009 for repairs at the high school, in addition to funds available for sudden emergency repair expenses.
Next on the list is an updated security system that would cover more doors to the building. Adding new cameras and getting a new recording system would be part of the estimated $12,000 project.
Coming in third on the list is an overhaul of the climate control in the main hallway built in 1969. As explained by Zickgraf, when constructed, the walls did not go to the ceiling and which created more airflow, but as the walls were taken to the ceiling and rooms added where hallways had been, the air flow changed or stopped in many cases, but the same ductwork and air blowers are still in place from the open-air design.
According to Goewert, this can mean some classrooms are much colder or hotter than others on a regular basis.
The estimated cost would be at least $1 million and would be paid off in a 10-year lease at about $125,000 a year. School officials hope the energy savings from such a project could be put toward lease payments.
Heading over to the 1958 portion of the building, the condition of the roof in that area comes in as the fourth most important proposed project.
“The ’58 addition is by far our worst section,” Zickgraf said of the roof condition. The proposed replacement would occur over three phases in as many years, with each year estimated to cost about $75,000.
Coming in fifth on the list is a modified proposal for how to get more students in the building from the six portable classrooms. Goewert had originally proposed closing all six portables, but the plan unveiled Thursday shows only two being closed.
He said about a third of the student population goes to the portables daily, and any way to reduce that number would help with safety and security.
The project would also involve shifting several teachers around to various rooms in the building and perhaps building a wall in the large group area so it could be divided into classrooms at a total estimated cost of $100,000.
Board member Steve Hively said he still opposed the closing of the portables, saying that students could just as easily leave school grounds from any exit in the building, not just on their way to the portable classrooms.
Other projects on the list included parking lot improvements, new signage, gym floor sealing, perimeter fence repairs and installation, new flooring for the main hallway and technology purchases, all of which most board members were pleased to see.
“We need to improve the environment of CCHS,” Stan Myer, board member, said of the proposal, adding that the district doesn’t want the building to deteriorate, a sentiment echoed by other members.
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Last Updated ( Monday, March 09 2009 )
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