Although summer renovations to some Auburn Enlarged City School District buildings will stretch into autumn, the new school year will open today with minimal disruptions, district officials said.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Fourth-grade teacher Laura Pesarchick arranges the display case outside the main office for the first day of school. Genesee Elementary began its '08-'09 school year this morning.
Fourth-grade teacher Laura Pesarchick arranges the display case outside the main office for the first day of school. Genesee Elementary began its '08-'09 school year this morning.
“We are starting tomorrow with not a lot going on,” said Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds Larry Garuccio.
Construction crews worked throughout the summer to update and enhance the infrastructure of each of the district buildings as part of the 2006 capital project, which is in its last phase.
While some sitework, including asbestos removal, has been completed for opening day, delays in receiving necessary materials from manufacturers and at the district level - mainly during the bidding process - are forcing crews to either finish jobs during the school year or push them back until next summer.
East and West middle schools will pose a mild challenge to the district. Work on the East Middle School elevator, which began this summer, will not be completed until several months into the school year. Though the elevator will be out of commission during that time, Garuccio said that was expected and contingencies are in place.
“There was no way you were going to have an elevator in two months of the summer,” he said. “No possible way. It's a six month process. ... There are certain projects you can't complete in two months of the summer, it just doesn't happen. We have Plan B. You have to ensure the safety of all students and faculty and in between you have to work on completing the projects. And that's what we do, safety first.”
Superintendent J.D. Pabis, at the last board of education meeting, said the district will accommodate disabled students by keeping their classrooms only on the first floor and will revisit classroom assignments should the need arise.
Work done on the elevator will be relegated to the middle school's basement during the school day, and a “wall” of plastic and sheetrock surrounds the elevator to “minimize any kind of dust,” Garuccio said.
Minor work in replacing doors on the first floor and installing door hardware on the second floor has yet to be done.
At West Middle School, crews worked around the clock this past weekend preparing for a shipment of windows, which will eventually replace the current ones, he said.
As many as nine workers spent Labor Day weekend constructing soffits, laying down sheetrock, sanding and painting. Classrooms may need to be shuffled around in the next month or two in order for crews to install the windows, Garuccio added.
The finishing touches are being done on a newly constructed music room, as well.
At Genesee Street Elementary School, crews are continuously working on the old gymnasium by installing a new floor. He said teachers will be able to work around it as there is a second gymnasium, and physical education classes are usually conducted outside when there is good weather.
The Owasco Elementary School auditorium will be closed until November as crews install a new air handling system on the roof. Garuccio said the main priority was installing a second system on the roof above the cafeteria and getting that ready for opening day, which it is.
New bathroom fixtures at Seward Elementary School are ready for use. Asbestos abatement is completed at Herman Avenue Elementary School and at every other instructional building, and Casey Park Elementary School has not seen much work at all.
At the high school, work is currently underway to remodel the front entrance, Pabis said. A second set of doors will be installed to create a breezeway going into the building. Until work is completed within the next month or two, only two of the four doors at the entrance will be open. The entrances near the auditorium and student center will also be open.
Crews have already fixed a retaining wall on the auditorium side with work still needed on the music and cafeteria sides. Pabis expects that to take about two weeks and will have no affect on classroom instruction.
“School wise, we are in great shape,” Garuccio said. “The guys worked very hard and all the schools are ready. We have all the dust and construction debris all cleaned up.”
Air filters have or will soon be changed to maintain the proper air quality requirements for faculty, staff and students.
While the district will have to coordinate efforts to install late-arriving items, such as the windows at West Middle School, Garuccio said, “tomorrow it's business as usual.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
Construction crews worked throughout the summer to update and enhance the infrastructure of each of the district buildings as part of the 2006 capital project, which is in its last phase.
While some sitework, including asbestos removal, has been completed for opening day, delays in receiving necessary materials from manufacturers and at the district level - mainly during the bidding process - are forcing crews to either finish jobs during the school year or push them back until next summer.
East and West middle schools will pose a mild challenge to the district. Work on the East Middle School elevator, which began this summer, will not be completed until several months into the school year. Though the elevator will be out of commission during that time, Garuccio said that was expected and contingencies are in place.
“There was no way you were going to have an elevator in two months of the summer,” he said. “No possible way. It's a six month process. ... There are certain projects you can't complete in two months of the summer, it just doesn't happen. We have Plan B. You have to ensure the safety of all students and faculty and in between you have to work on completing the projects. And that's what we do, safety first.”
Superintendent J.D. Pabis, at the last board of education meeting, said the district will accommodate disabled students by keeping their classrooms only on the first floor and will revisit classroom assignments should the need arise.
Work done on the elevator will be relegated to the middle school's basement during the school day, and a “wall” of plastic and sheetrock surrounds the elevator to “minimize any kind of dust,” Garuccio said.
Minor work in replacing doors on the first floor and installing door hardware on the second floor has yet to be done.
At West Middle School, crews worked around the clock this past weekend preparing for a shipment of windows, which will eventually replace the current ones, he said.
As many as nine workers spent Labor Day weekend constructing soffits, laying down sheetrock, sanding and painting. Classrooms may need to be shuffled around in the next month or two in order for crews to install the windows, Garuccio added.
The finishing touches are being done on a newly constructed music room, as well.
At Genesee Street Elementary School, crews are continuously working on the old gymnasium by installing a new floor. He said teachers will be able to work around it as there is a second gymnasium, and physical education classes are usually conducted outside when there is good weather.
The Owasco Elementary School auditorium will be closed until November as crews install a new air handling system on the roof. Garuccio said the main priority was installing a second system on the roof above the cafeteria and getting that ready for opening day, which it is.
New bathroom fixtures at Seward Elementary School are ready for use. Asbestos abatement is completed at Herman Avenue Elementary School and at every other instructional building, and Casey Park Elementary School has not seen much work at all.
At the high school, work is currently underway to remodel the front entrance, Pabis said. A second set of doors will be installed to create a breezeway going into the building. Until work is completed within the next month or two, only two of the four doors at the entrance will be open. The entrances near the auditorium and student center will also be open.
Crews have already fixed a retaining wall on the auditorium side with work still needed on the music and cafeteria sides. Pabis expects that to take about two weeks and will have no affect on classroom instruction.
“School wise, we are in great shape,” Garuccio said. “The guys worked very hard and all the schools are ready. We have all the dust and construction debris all cleaned up.”
Air filters have or will soon be changed to maintain the proper air quality requirements for faculty, staff and students.
While the district will have to coordinate efforts to install late-arriving items, such as the windows at West Middle School, Garuccio said, “tomorrow it's business as usual.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
