Putting it back together in time to start school
by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor
With only a few days before the beginning of a new school year, last minute items were being crossed off a short list at Rogers City Elementary School. ?There are probably a few minor items that are not going to get done 100 percent before the opening of school, but it is not anything that will keep school from opening,? said Bill Schmitt, Haussman Construction Company project superintendent. Contractors were going through each classroom doing paint touch ups and other odds and ends.
According to Pat Lamb, director of building, grounds, and transportation, a handful of rooms were still in need of new carpeting Tuesday morning, but that was supposed to be taken care of before Friday. The fire marshal gave his ?blessing? last week, said Schmitt. The only remaining inspections were for the mechanical and electrical work. Those inspections were to take place Wednesday and Thursday. Once contractors complete a room and move to another location of the building, a contracted cleaning company moves in behind them. Once the cleaning work is complete, school employees then begin the process of putting the rooms back together. It starts with the hundreds of boxes, books, desks, and chairs being hauled back into the building.
Because the project included the abatement of asbestos, everything had to be removed, right down to the posters on the wall. In the final days before school is to start, teachers were getting their rooms back in order. ?IT WAS quite an effort,? said Schmitt. ?There were a lot of good contractors that stepped up. We worked a lot of overtime the last four weeks to get this job done.? Some crews worked Saturdays, but there were some 12 to 16 hour days put in between Monday and Friday as well. Schmitt was a bit uncomfortable that the project was coming down to the wire but was not too surprised. ?There were some delivery dates for windows and siding,? said Schmitt. ?Delivery dates were all very tight. Thankfully, we had a few things show up early. Siding and unit ventilators showed up early. Windows and doors showed up on time. Thankfully, they were not late.? The improvements include: a change from a steam heated system to a water system. All new piping and unit ventilators also were installed. A
THE KITCHEN received two new kitchen hoods. Word arrived Tuesday morning that the drawings were approved in Lansing. There are new controls for the heating system, new lights throughout the building, and upgrades to the power in the kitchen and boiler room.
?Architecturally, there are new exterior windows and doors in the classrooms,? said Schmitt. There also is new drywall, ceilings, floors and carpet, as well as new paint throughout. There?s also the new handicap lift near the main entrance. The building has all the feel and smell of a new school.
?I love the windows. I love the ceilings, I like the lighting throughout the entire building,? said teacher Brenda Lamp. The project cost just under $1.4 million.