Construction Update (10/20/15) //www.williamsbayschools.org/pro/bulletin/rss_posts.cfm?threadid=6&memberid=886 Dr. Anderson's Blog - Construction Update (10/20/15) en-us Wayne Anderson //www.williamsbayschools.org/about/blog.cfm?posts=1&threadid=6#item_6 Fall is certainly upon us as we see the crops being harvested, the leaves turning color and gradually falling off the trees and the steel girders going up to form the shape of our new elementary school. During the past month, one of the most dramatic changes with the new elementary school is the erection of steel girders. These girders create a frame for the building and give us an opportunity to see what the shape of the new building will be in relation to the current Middle/Senior High School. As you enter our parking lot from Highway 67, you can see that the new fitness center and gymnasium. As impressive as this looks, the rear side of the building is equally impressive. At the rear of our school, the steel girders are being set to outline the shape of the front entrance, office area, commons and cafeteria. Once these girders have been set in place the steel girders will start going up for the classrooms wings. We are currently on track to have all of the steel girders up by Thanksgiving.

As the steel girders are being put in place, concrete block exterior walls are being constructed. Currently, you can see the concrete block walls being constructed on the fitness center and the elevator shaft. The elevator shaft is located on the back side of the Middle/Senior High School. In addition some of our building sidewalks have been poured. This week, we are also scheduled to have the curb and gutter poured around the site and the first course or binder course of blacktop being poured on our roadways and parking lots. The final coats will be poured next year after most of the building’s construction has been completed.

While the new elementary school is being constructed, two other building projects are also taking place. The construction of the new baseball field is almost completed. At this point, the baseball field has been laid out, the irrigation system has been installed, the sod has been laid and the infield mix is being put around the baseline and the warning track. Laying down the infield mix on the baselines and warning track are scheduled to be completed by the end of the week. Once this has been completed, the fence around the baseball field will be installed. At this point, I am quite confident that the entire baseball field will be completed by mid-November with the exception of the dugouts. The Sports Boosters have teamed up with the school district to help lessen the cost of the baseball field’s construction by getting donations for the materials needed to construct the dugouts and then supplying the labor to build the dugouts. The Sports Boosters will meet on Wednesday, October 21 to discuss when they will meet to construct the dugouts. Whether these dugouts are constructed this fall or in early spring, the baseball field will be ready to use for this spring’s baseball season.

The other project that the school district has been working on is the construction of a new detention basin to handle the district’s water runoff for the school property not impacted by the new elementary school. The plans for this new detention basin have now been approved by the Village. The approved plan will make the current detention basin at the rear of our property both larger and deeper. In addition, a new berm will be created along the district’s north property line. The School Board has been working closely with Kapur & Associates and Scherrer Construction to develop the new detention basin plans and make the new plans operational. The School Board is now reviewing bid estimates for the construction work and hopes to complete the construction on this new basin either this fall or early in the spring.

While the exterior work is in full swing, many individuals have been working to finalize different plans for the interior of the building. During the last month, the Board has approved equipment purchases for the new equipment that will be put into our new fitness center. This equipment is designed to be user friendly – not only for our students, but also for the community. The fitness center was designed to have an outside entrance for community use and nearby restrooms with showers and a changing area. The School Board also approved the security system that will be installed to make our new elementary school safer and more secure.

Building committees are working on a variety of projects. We have one committee that is creating a furniture and equipment bid to be put out later this year. The draft bid document should be ready for School Board review in November. Once the School Board has approved the bid document, the furniture and equipment will be put out for competitive bids. The final selection of furniture and equipment should take place in February with installation in July/August 2016. Another committee is working on selecting the appropriate playground equipment to go on our new playgrounds. This committee has been reviewing the playground needs and evaluating different proposals. This committee should have its final recommendations to the School Board in December. We also have a committee that is examining the technology equipment needs for the new building. This committee has discussed the present and future technology needs of the school district and is now examining different types of technology devices to see which ones are the most appropriate for our current and future needs. We also have a group that is working on what our “history wall” should look like as you enter the new building. The School District is proud of its educational heritage and wants to construct an area that pays tribute to our past while celebrating our future.

The building process is exciting and sometimes overwhelming. I am truly looking forward to showing the community the results of our efforts. We appreciate all of your support and will do our best to bring you a building that you can be proud of both now and in the future. However, until the building is ready for staff and students in September 2016, please feel free to look at our progress as you drive, bike or walk by the school. As always, I will write and post regular construction blogs and have them posted on our website.

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