House Springs Elementary School will be a hub of activity this summer, when crews will be working on a variety of renovations and improvements.
The Northwest R-1 Board of Education voted 6-0 Feb. 20 to award a $699,640 contract to Integra Construction Inc. of St. Charles to complete the construction projects.
It is the last big contract to be funded with revenue from Prop S, the $14.5 million bond issue voters approved in April 2018.
The work at House Springs Elementary is scheduled to get underway in early May and be completed before the beginning of the next school year on Aug. 26, Chief Operating Officer Geoff Macy said.
One of the projects calls for renovations to the school’s second floor, including the installation of new windows and upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.
Another project calls for improvements to the school’s courtyard.
“The exterior work will start as soon as state testing is completed in early May,” Macy said. “Interior construction will begin the day after the last day of school. We won’t have summer school at the House Springs school but will have it somewhere else.”
In order to ensure the work is finished on time, the district included penalties for the days construction exceeds the agreed-on completion date, although there are exceptions for certain circumstances, Macy said.
“We believe they can get in there and get it done,” he said.
Second-floor remodel
The second-floor remodel includes new flooring, new energy-saving lights, a new ceiling, an expansion of the art room, the replacement of the windows and an upgraded HVAC system.
“The art room is an area that definitely could be bigger,” Macy said. “That was a plus. The windows are not energy efficient. Heat escapes; sunlight comes in.”
So, the windows will be replaced with more energy-efficient ones similar to those installed at Valley Middle School and Maple Grove Elementary School. The upgraded HVAC system will be dedicated to the second floor, he said.
Macy said all the updates to the building will make the building more aesthetically pleasing, as well as more efficient.
Courtyard
The courtyard project consists of two parts.
The first part will create a second entryway to the courtyard from the cafeteria. Currently, the courtyard, which was built in 2008, is only accessible from the library.
Secondly, the courtyard will be leveled out with pavers and have shading added to make “a nice outdoors space,” Macy said.
“This takes the whole courtyard to make a usable, fun, instructional space,” he said. “Students can read out there and eat their lunch out there on occasion. It takes a space we are not really using and gives students opportunities.”
Macy said the improvements will make a difference to students at House Springs Elementary.
“We appreciate the community’s support of Prop S,” he added.
Once the final figures are in for all the construction, the district will be looking to see if there will be enough money left over from the bond issue to fund other projects and address maintenance issues, he said.
Some of the other projects funded by the bond issue include improvements to entryways at each of the schools to make them more secure; the construction of new gymnasiums at Cedar Springs Elementary and Woodridge Middle School; improvements to the Northwest High School auditorium; a new building near the high school softball field to house a bathroom; a new road that runs from the back parking lot at the high school to the softball field; a new parking lot at High Ridge Elementary School; a new roof and a new HVAC system at Cedar Springs Elementary School; and HVAC improvements at Valley Middle School.
Retta Tuggle was absent from the Feb. 20 meeting.