Facility Focus

Approximately 750,000 square feet of academic facilities. 200 acres of land. One goal: Support an "ALite" education for each student in the Avon Lake City School District.

What's going on in our schools from a facilities standpoint? What projects are we working on? What challenges do we face? What opportunities exist? Find all the facilities news that's fit to print right here in our quarterly newsletter!

The District has been "soft launching" an electronic permitting system for several months now. With (most of!) the quirks discovered and bugs worked out, we are ready to take the next step of using the new software across all buildings and releasing the new request form to the public.

The old paper forms have been replaced with the following facility use request links and has been posted on our website at: Students/Parents --> Forms

Application - Permit for the Use of School Facilities

(Any building / facility except the Performing Arts Center)

Daniel B. Ross, Ph.D. Performing Arts Center Event Request

Moving to an electronic system allows for instant viewing of permits between buildings and the district office, automatic integration with building Google calendars when an event is marked "Public," and more. We appreciate your patience as we continue to update our procedures to help us be more efficient and communicate better internally with regard to facilities rentals and other district events.

The District is also working on a revised facility rental fee schedule, which is expected to be implemented on August 1st.

Aside from summer break, schools don't always have the luxury of time when it comes to completing major projects and repairs. That's why anytime school is out of session - winter break, spring break, long weekends, etc. - you'll usually see quite a bit of maintenance, custodial, and/or outside contractors on our campuses, because there is always a lot to be done. Here are just some of the projects that were completed over winter break:

• Quarterly sprinkler testing - all buildings
• Monthly roof inspections and repairs - all buildings
• HVAC service and repairs
• Elevator inspection and service
• Removal of downed trees and related
• Progress on the partial replacement of the fire alarm system at Westview
• Wire pulls for a high school security project
• Tile replacement and repairs at several buildings

The picture on the right is a hallway at the high school, just outside the district office, that needed attention. Tiles were cracking and can no longer be pattern-matched. We had some concerns about the sub-floor, as well, which felt a little spongy. The hallway has received a refresh with vinyl planks that will not need waxing each summer, and a (test) color palette meant to bring out the maroon in the wainscoting, which is in great shape after being installed a quarter century ago. As you can see, a lot of thought goes into the various work/projects that get completed!

This is all in addition to the normal cleaning that takes place during breaks, the staffing of school and community events, weather-related caretaking of the campuses, and more.

The next significant round of work is usually completed during spring break, but there are always a few days in between where work can be (and is) completed. We are thankful for our maintenance and custodial workers for watching over the buildings while we are not in session.

NOTE: The original version of this newsletter contained a story in this space about the three options advanced at the January 6th Special Board of Education Meeting for consideration at the January 21st Regular Board Meeting. The story has now been updated to reflect the option that was selected by the Board.

At the January 21st Regular Board of Education Meeting, the following option (presented here in an abbreviated summary) was passed by the Board for community consideration on May 6th:

5-8 Middle School Option:

• Build a new 5-8 middle school
• Repair existing K-4 elementaries
• $88.09M bond issue + $3M per year operating levy
• Estimated cost per $100,000 Auditor Appraised Home Value: $165 per year

Last week, a resident and parent asked the Operations Department "What repairs are going to be done in each scenario?" This is a great question, and it's one we would like to answer as succinctly as possible here. The idea is to repair areas identified internally as "High" or "Elevated" priorities from the original facilities inspection by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC).

Under the 5-8 Middle School Option, the following repairs would take place at the remaining elementary schools (Eastview, Redwood, and Westview):

• HVAC system replacement, including converting the buildings to a ducted system, adding air conditioning, and addressing general classroom exhaust needs
• Roof replacement, based on identified priorities/age of current roof sections
• Electrical systems, including panel replacement, additional circuits, and interior lighting upgrades (e.g. convert to LED)
• Plumbing systems, including replacement of the sanitary waste piping under the buildings
• Handicapped access upgrades
• Life safety systems, including sprinkler/fire suppression systems and emergency generators
• Replacement of old kitchen equipment, as needed
• Budget permitting, additional site condition work (asphalt, sidewalks) and other building-specific needs

It is important to note that high school repairs were not included in any of the proposed options. Necessary repairs would be completed at the high school as time and budget permits, as is taking place now.

It is also important to note that lower priority items, such as general classroom finishes and furniture, are not included in any of the proposed options. All "High" and "Elevated" priority items identified by the District are critical infrastructure items, such as HVAC, roofing, electrical, plumbing, life safety, etc.

We hope that this information is helpful as we continue the community discussion.