UPDATE ON NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROJECT
It has been a busy summer at South Bend School District as we add the planning and design work for the new elementary school to our usual summer work agenda. That being said, what a great project to be involved in for our community! Though most all of the work being done now is behind the scenes, evidence of that work will be visible soon enough. This article is an update on what has been the focus these past 2 months.
Architects Hired
At the end of this last May, the South Bend Board of Directors hired Erickson McGovern Architects as our project designers. EMA focuses solely on school design and come highly regarded. Based in Tacoma, they will work with us throughout the project as we progress through each phase of design, construction, and close out. Their team has met several times in the last couple months with our planning teams, staff stakeholder groups, and the board in putting together initial education specifications (edspecs) for the building. They are currently working on both initial building design and foundation design, as well as overall layout of the eventual facility.
In addition to hiring architects, the district contracted with Greene Gasaway, who are providing project management services. The project managers work closely with district administrative staff to ensure all aspects of the project remain on track and that the district's best interests are maintained.
Bonds Sold
Earlier this month, I attended the sale of our voter approved bonds at Piper Jaffray in Seattle. All bonds sold in quick order and are currently in the process of closing. The bond sale is scheduled to close in early August. Proceeds from the bond sale will provide the voter approved $4.95 million dollars to be used toward the construction project.
Conditional Use Permit Received
Beginning in June, the district worked with the City of South Bend to obtain a conditional use permit for new school construction. This involved completing the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process, which resulted in a determination of non-significance. An eventual public hearing and review with the City of South Bend Board of Adjustment resulted in an approval in early July.
Consultants Hired
The district has engaged three different consultants to provide services related to geotechnical engineering, land surveying, and hazardous materials surveying. The geotechs completed soil samples and analysis in order to determine the type of foundation system needed for the new school. They are currently working with architects and our project managers to design the most appropriate system which will include piling. The land surveyors have mostly completed their work, where they have plotted ground elevations, located and marked all underground and above ground utilities, and determined property boundaries across the entire campus. This work is critical for architects to be able to position the new school according to the best overall land use. The survey also allows architects and engineers to know where existing utilities are located and where new utilities can be located. Finally, the hazardous materials team is currently analyzing the existing elementary school that will eventually be demolished. This work is essential in order to safely remove the building with regards to potential environmental concerns.
What's Next?
As soon as the foundation system for the new school building is settled, the architects will be able to finalize building placement and design. As this process unfolds, architects are working with school staff to get a clear picture of building needs, such as classroom sizes, work spaces, etc. Once these items solidify, cost estimators will be able to give us a better idea of how the project will play out financially. This work will be vital as we prepare for construction bidding.
Other Projects
I also want to provide information on some other projects folks might be observing around our campus. A major project that is occurring as I type is an underground powerline replacement. This project is replacing over 300 ft of electrical main powerline, which feeds the entire South Bend campus. This line is almost 40 years old and has failed. Once finished, we will have safe, reliable power coming in to our buildings. This project is funded through an approximate $53,000 grant secured by the school district, resulting in limited local funds needed.
The district has also been replacing select roofs on various buildings. Last summer, we replaced the roof on Koplitz Field House. This summer, we were able to complete the roof replacements on our Broadway buildings, which house various pre-K programs.
Folks might also recognize that our new baseball facility is coming along nicely. With the dry weather kicking in late Spring, our grass outfield is now coming in thick. We have been implementing a process of deep-tine aerating, top dressing, and of course, seeding-fertilizing-watering, as we continue to build up a solid sod base. This process will continue into the Fall as we approach the Fall growing season. The dugouts have been completed, the scoreboard is up, and concrete work around the backstop is completed. We are looking forward to a great season of home games this next Spring!
Our maintenance crew lead by Gary Wilson have been and continue to be hard at work. Though we lost longtime employee Joe Dokter to retirement at the end of June, Shane Green has been hired and is fitting in very well. It is certainly nice to be able to keep our crew solid. We have a lot to be thankful for...
As always, if anyone has questions about South Bend Schools feel free to contact me at jtienhaa@southbendschools.org. It continues to be a pleasure to work for such a fantastic community and school system. I look forward to an exciting and productive year as we gear up for the 18-19 school year. Please keep an eye out for our 18-19 newsletter later this August.
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