by Morgan Smith
While kids are out for summer leaving school buildings across the district almost empty, area paint crews, contractors and construction workers are hitting Matthews and Mint Hill schools for some major and minor repairs and improvements.
At Bain Elementary, you’ll find crews working hard, as foundations were laid, and walls are starting to form, Guy Chamberlain, associate superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools auxiliary services, said. The project is expected to be complete before school starts in 2013, with hopes that it will be ready for occupancy by August.
“It’s on track and it’s on schedule,” Chamberlain said. “We’ve had no problems with the project. We’re confident that we’ll have it for school opening next year.”
Besides continuing construction on Bain, several other schools are getting some major facelifts, including a near $1 million reroofing project at Lebanon Road Elementary and a $56,000 full-scale repainting project at Matthews Elementary. Many schools also have or will receive other routine maintenance projects such as ductwork cleaning, floor refinishing and some lighting repairs.
Phil Berman, CMS executive director for building services, said this summer CMS is spending $14 million across the district on maintenance alone, more than double last year’s cost because of some capital investment funds.
“Ultimately, you want to maintain your equipment so you get the full life out of your equipment. It’s just a good thing to do,” Berman said of the routine maintenance projects.
All CMS schools in Matthews and Mint Hill with the exception of Crown Point Elementary – which still received routine inspections and preventative maintenance, as do all CMS schools – will or have already had renovations this summer. The following projects are expected to finish prior to school starting in late August. Berman said the district hopes to have projects completed before school starts in order to test and verify that new equipment and construction are sound and working properly.
Butler High School
• Tennis court repair project – $43,750
• Hot water system replacement project – $87,583
• Football lighting and seating inspections and repairs
• Gymnasium floor refinishing
Independence High School
• HVAC unit ventilators replacement project (12 units) – $145,000
• Significant repairs on football field bleachers
• Football lighting inspections and repairs
• Gymnasium floor refinishing
• Various environmental cleanup projects – $41,247
Providence High School
• Boiler replacement project – $42,204
• Hot water system replacement project (field house) – $39,558
• Several door replacements – $1,946
• Football lighting inspections and repairs
• Gymnasium floor refinishing
Rocky River High School
• Football lighting inspections and repairs
• Erosion control mitigation projects at football and athletic fields
• Gymnasium floor refinishing
Crestdale Middle School
• HVAC mechanical equipment cleaning and indoor air quality improvement project – $15,264
• Gymnasium floor refinishing
Mint Hill Middle School
• Gymnasium lighting retrofit project
• Gymnasium floor refinishing
Bain Elementary School
• HVAC mechanical equipment cleaning and indoor air quality improvement project – about $15,000
Clear Creek Elementary School
• Installation of an eight classroom modular (relocated from Mountain Island Elementary) plus two additional mobile classrooms – $377,000
Will accommodate three additional classes at school
Aug. 13 occupancy target
• Chiller Replacement – $101,272
Crown Point Elementary School
• Nothing to report (routine inspections and preventative maintenance occurs at all CMS schools during the summer)
Lebanon Road Elementary School
• HVAC unit ventilators replacement project (50 units) – $204,544
• Entire school roof replacement – $936,660
• HVAC mechanical equipment cleaning and indoor air quality improvement project – $14,112
Matthews Elementary School
• Full school repainting (interior and exterior) – $55,810
Elizabeth Lane Elementary School
• Two new playgrounds (kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade) – $65,786
• Parking lot lighting conversion to induction
Editor’s note: CMS did not provide total cost or specific costs for every project because some projects are not broken down between schools, but rather the district as a whole.
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