Towne gives construction update for schools

Patty Miller

EDMOND — Construction work is under way or in the final stages at 12 area schools.

During Monday night’s Edmond Board of Education meeting, Bret Towne, associate superintendent in charge of district operations, gave an update on where construction stands at each site.

At Centennial Elementary the work is 99 percent complete. Installation of furnishings will begin the middle of July.

The new special services building is in its final stages of construction with work being completed including drywall, painting, casework installation and ceiling installation. The parking lot is complete and sidewalk installation is ongoing.

The new windows are in at Clyde Howell Elementary, and work will begin shortly on the new facia. Completion, occupancy and furniture installation will start in late July.

The Summit Middle School locker room is substantially complete and inspections are taking place. The east side of the fine arts area is complete, and inspections have begun. Area “A” classrooms, the Summit office area and Charles Haskell Elementary classrooms are all at the drywall, tape and bedding and painting stages. The contractor is slightly behind in these areas. The parking lot between the buildings has been excavated, stabilized and new curbing has begun.

Towne said two issues have come up. The first is that the parking lot west of Haskell will have to be pulled out of the contract at this time and rebid at a later date. The City of Oklahoma City has informed the district that the Summit/Haskell property was never submitted for a Planned Unit Development zoning change in 1984 and is still zoned restricted residential. The district asked for an administrative variance due to the seven building permits that had been previously issued to the schools, but was denied. In July the school will submit a request to amend the PUD.

The second issue is the water main going from the meter is PVC and not copper as originally specified. This pipe will be under the new parking lot on the southwest corner of Summit and must be changed out to copper. Since this has to occur, district maintenance personnel suggest the pipe size be increased from 3-inch to 4-inch copper pipe.

Construction on the Chisholm Elementary classroom addition is wrapping up and will be ready by the start of school. The office area and kitchen are scheduled to be completed by the end of September.

The school is requesting an existing section of terrazzo flooring be removed to match the new terrazzo flooring. Also, the sewer line connection from the kitchen has to be re-routed to achieve the proper fall to drain correctly.

Work is continuing on schedule at Northern Hills Elementary. The classrooms and offices are nearly complete and work continues on the interior of the kitchen and the exterior facia installation. Curb and guttering is complete and the parking lot installation should start soon.

At Sequoyah Middle School the finish-out of the classroom addition is nearly complete. New offices and media center renovations are at the drywall and tape and bed stage. There are no significant change orders or issues at this time.

Central Middle School renovation is under way and demolition is complete in all aspects and areas at Central. Drywall and finishes are going in. A new rest room and fire line piping is being installed.

“There are a few issues that are being addressed,” Towne said, “including additional fire insulation between the drop ceiling and the roof deck and additional sprinkler heads are being mandated, and additional drywall will be installed in areas that were not originally planned for.”

Work is ongoing at all high school sites for the high school security improvements and the projects are on schedule. The brick and tilt up pilasters are being installed at all sites. Work has commenced on the gatehouse infrastructure and road renovations.

Memorial High School’s administration requested the re-routing of the entry traffic at the Scott Street entrance.

“Before school starts all of the entrances will be open at all of the high school sites,” Towne said. After school begins only the entrance and exit at the gate house on each campus will be open.

At Russell Dougherty Elementary excavation for the fire road, site preparation and sewer and water connection are ongoing.

North High School, Sunset Elementary and Orvis Risner Elementary all have projects out to bid.

Projects under design include middle school tennis courts and high school baseball improvements.

“Construction completion is going fairly smooth,” Towne said. “Some projects will be ending right at the beginning of school. At this time any glitch will put us behind.”

Towne said projects that will be pushed to right before school starts are jobs at Central and Summit middle schools.