Plans under way for Northern Hills addition

Patty Miller
The Edmond Sun

EDMOND January 23, 2008 12:46 pm

— The largest slice of the $28.5 million pie passed in the December bond issue will go toward classroom additions and the renovation of the southwest part of Northern Hills Elementary.
Bret Towne, associate superintendent of District Operations, said construction, furnishings, architecture and engineering fees will come to $4.7 million.
“A 12-classroom addition on the east side of the building will include classes for early childhood, including pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first-grade classrooms,” Towne said in his report to the Edmond Board of Education.
“We also will be moving the entrance to the center of the building, and that will allow for expansion and give us a secure entrance.”
A cooking kitchen also is being put on site so meal preparation can take place at the school.
“The old original part of the school on the southwest corner will be getting a fascia on that part of the building to modernize it as well as to help it match the rest of the building,” Towne said.
Both the principal and assistant principal, the three secretaries, the counselor, psychomotrist and the clinic will be in the administration area.
“Since the clinic and offices for the nurse will be the new area, a nurse may office here and go to other schools,” Towne said. “At the very least she will have a room to work out of.”
This will be the fifth classroom addition to the school.
The first phase was the southwest corner built in 1964, the area that will now be under renovation, and a gym was added in 1991.
“We have seven portables on this site, and it has been 17 years since additional work has been done,” Towne said. “This new building positions this school to handle all-day kindergarten in the future and still have space for pre-K programs if desired.”
The addition of a new elementary school in the future will lessen the student load.
“Right now it looks like we will be adding classroom additions at every elementary in the district over the next three bond issues,” Towne said.
Classrooms at Haskell and Chisholm elementary schools are being designed and will be built during the next two years, he said.
Construction is set to begin at Northern Hills in August.
Towne said once construction is under way, it will take 14-16 months to complete because of the size of the project and the way it is broken up across different parts of the school.
Next year three to four additional schools will be considered for additions to be made in the near future.

pmiller@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 171

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