Public school construction plans progressing well

Published by the Mobile Press Register

Public school construction plans progressing well
Several projects completed in time for new school year
Thursday, July 26, 2007
By JOSH BEAN
Staff Reporter
BAY MINETTE -- Construction projects at several Baldwin County schools wrapped up this summer, paving the way for students to use new facilities including classrooms, a gym and cafeteria when classes resume Aug. 9.
Two other expansion projects -- a 10-classroom addition at Silverhill Elementary and 26-classroom wing at Foley High -- will be finished by September, said Mike Keating, the school board's construction chief. Both schools will begin using that new space by the Christmas holidays, he said.
That's good news for a school system that will likely grow to more than 27,000 students this year.

"It speaks volumes about our efforts to respond to the growth in the county," Superintendent Faron Hollinger said. "I hope our public will take heart and see that we're taking some very tangible, visible steps in addressing growth, and we'll be doing more of it."
Hollinger admitted that he's disappointed that the Silverhill and Foley projects were not completed for the start of school, but he said the school system will move into the new classrooms as soon as possible.
"That won't be the first time we've had to move into a facility at what instructionally and academically may be an inconvenient time," Hollinger said.
About 10 other projects, including new elementary schools in Daphne and Robertsdale and new middle schools Spanish Fort and Fairhope are under construction and should be finished by fall 2008, Keating said.
Two new Foley-area schools -- an elementary and middle school -- have run into construction delays and will be finished during the 2008-09 school year, but not by August 2008, Keating said.
All told, the current projects account for about $130 million in improvements.
"In general, everything has gone fairly well, and we're anticipating, with the exception of those two Foley schools, that everything will be completed prior to the start of the'08 school year," Keating said.


At Monday's board work session, Steve Pendley, a representative from Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood -- the architectural firm that designed Foley Middle and did site design for Foley Elementary -- pledged that the company will respond to the school system's needs more quickly.
Keating said the company has not communicated in a timely manner with contractors on the site or the school system, especially when processing change orders.
"I can assure you that you're about to see a drastic turnaround," Pendley said.

Following is a rundown of completed or soon-to-be-completed projects, according to Keating:
Gulf Shores Elementary: A 16-classroom addition is complete, and the school's dining room was expanded. Air-conditioning was also installed at Gulf Shores Middle as part of this project.
Swift Elementary: A new cafeteria is finished, and renovations included installation of a new floor.
Summerdale: The new gym is ready, and a 12-classroom, 18,470-square-foot addition is expected to be completed by March 2008.
Daphne High: The stadium expansion is nearing completion and should be ready when the Trojans kick off the 2007 season Aug. 31 at home against B.C. Rain. The expansion increased the seating capacity to more than 6,000.
Foley High: School system officials hoped the new wing would be finished by fall, especially since the school had a county-high 18 portables last year. The building should be finished in September. "From talking to the principal, they may try to occupy it piecemeal once it's finished," Keating said.
Silverhill: A 10-classroom addition should be finished in late August or early September. The project was slowed by delays in obtaining materials, Keating said.


Sea, Sand & Stars Learning Center: This attraction at Orange Beach Elementary should be ready to go this fall, thanks to last month's installation of a 5,600-gallon shark tank. The facility also features a planetarium, weather station, microscope lab, technology laboratory and outdoor boardwalks in the wooded wetlands behind the Wilson Boulevard campus.
Daphne, Foley high roofs: The seven-member Board of Education approved a plan to have both schools fitted with a "retrofit roofing system" that essentially allows a new roof to be placed over the old one. Board members hoped that could be done this summer, but Keating said the Foley project only recently began and the Daphne work will begin soon.
"Summers are shorter, (and) they seem to get shorter every year," Keating said. "It wasn't realistic to complete those over the summer, because the construction duration on both those projects were four months."


Spanish Fort athletic fields: Sod and irrigation has been installed on the football practice field, which can be used when practice begins in August. If financing can be lined up, further work can be done on facilities for spring sports such as soccer, baseball and softball.
Future construction
The school system will soon finalize a $150 bond issue to finance construction projects, and a statewide bond issue through the state Legislature will net the district another $18 million. Much of that money will pay for the projects already under construction.
When the school system devised its capital plan about five years ago, officials estimated it would cost $300 million. But that was before construction costs soared after Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, Keating said.
Before Ivan, construction costs averaged about $100 per square foot, but the system now pays about $130 to $140 per square foot, Keating said.
"So, this bond issue -- $150 million dollars, plus $18 (million) from the state -- a good portion of that is going to pay for projects already in progress," Keating said. "Maybe a third of it is available for new projects."
The school board has not identified what new projects will be financed through the bond issue, but one possibility is a countywide career/technical high school. A consulting firm is studying that issue for the school system and expects to make recommendations this fall.
Another possibility is an eighth comprehensive high school, which would likely be built in the Elberta/Lillian area. A citizens group -- the Southeastern Schools Steering Committee -- has lobbied the board for an Elberta-area high school for the last year.
The original capital plan also suggested that new, additional elementary schools would be needed in Spanish Fort, Foley and Daphne, Keating said.