The bond projects are based on recommendations from the Long Range Facility Planning Committee that target safety, technology, a positive educational environment, and critical capital repairs.
Replace Elmira Elementary on same site, with construction steps that allow students to remain on site – $12,600,000
Built in 1949, Elmira Elementary School represents some of the greatest needs in the District. Estimates to make critical capital repairs equaled 72% of the estimated cost to replace the facility at the same size. When you add needed space for full-day kindergarten beginning in 2015, it did not make financial sense to continue to invest in the existing facility. The entire school will be replaced with a new building sited just west of the existing building. Steps will be taken to separate the work activity to ensure safety and a positive learning environment during the construction.
Expand and renovate Veneta Elementary to allow supervision from front office, an enclosed library, additional classrooms, a cafeteria and kitchen, and to move bus traffic out of main parking lot – $4,270,000
Veneta Elementary School will undergo a transformation focused on safety and meeting needs due to growth. Classrooms will be added to replace existing portables and accommodate for full-day kindergarten beginning in 2015. Getting out of remote portables, separating the bus loop from the parking lot, enclosing the library, and reconfiguring the office to face the street will all improve safety at the school. Adding a cafeteria and prep kitchen will free up the gymnasium to meet new state standards for increased physical education minutes.
Renovations at Fern Ridge Middle School to library, office, and associated spaces for safety, acoustics, and student learning – $1,300,000
Fern Ridge Middle School continues to serve its student body well in its current configuration. The primary improvements at this site will include relocation of the office to face the parking lot to provide better supervision, and enclosing the library to better meet the needs of programs using that space.
Expand and renovate Elmira High School to include a second gymnasium and meet Title IX criteria – $3,700,000
The addition of a second gymnasium will serve not only the needs of high school students and athletes but will also alleviate the impact to all of the community schools and programs by providing critically needed space. The school must also meet Title IX criteria by expanding the girls’ support facilities to be equal to those for the boys’. Minor renovations will occur at the high school to accommodate these additions.
Address student safety and security, including seismic work, at all sites – $600,000
Safety improvements at all sites top the list of needs. This goes beyond just a reaction to a single event but includes an overall approach to improving the environment by addressing line of sight, hardening of the perimeter, better access control, expansion of the existing camera systems, and reducing opportunities for bullying and vandalism. Seismic remediation will also be performed at all of the facilities based on a recent structural assessment of the buildings and a prior state-sponsored evaluation.
Acquire technology to support classroom instruction and technology infrastructure – $1,300,000
Technology continues to play a critical part of the learning environment. While the District makes annual strides in the availability and access to these tools, wireless access in all buildings, improved student computers and labs, and teaching aids for audio and video in the classroom still remain on the to-do list in order to be competitive with neighboring school districts and provide comparable opportunities for all Fern Ridge students. While improvements to the phone and intercom systems address the technology requirements, they also add to the investment in student and staff safety.
Improve, repair, and develop facilities and sites to preserve remaining assets and systems and plan for growth – $2,900,000
Additional capital investments in roofs, mechanical systems, and parking lots will ensure that our buildings continue to serve the community at least as long as Elmira Elementary School already has.
TOTAL BUDGET = $26,670,000
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