New Items: We will have some new items at this building and they are all pretty exciting -
Roof: The original roof was failing in several areas and had been patched and overlayed too many times so a brand new roof is being installed.
HVAC: The original units were still in place, two of which were beyond repair and had already been disconnected by the prior owner. They have been removed and
new, high efficiency modern units will be installed as soon as the roof is done. YES, this building will have air conditioning!
Projectors: A/V and communications can be complicated but they will be simplified by the integrated system that is being installed. Each classroom will have a ceiling-
mounted projector (no more carts!) and will be able to be integrated with a central system. This means the projectors will all be new. We aren't sure yet if the budget will
allow for new video-friendly white boards, but they are high on the wish list.
Seismic Stability: This is talked about a lot on the building page already, but it's important to know that schools must meet a higher seismic standard than homes or
office buildings. Considering how much time our kids spend at school this mostly unseen element is reassuring! And the reason this will be mostly unseen rather than
fully unseen as in most buildings is because of the micropiles that are detailed on the home page. Because they are retrofitted and not installed at time of construction
they will protrude above the floor. Check out the micropile photo showing the bent rebar - that will all be covered in concrete to a height of 18" which is perfect height for
a seating bench, and what it will be for the time being, but isn't really necessary. The plans call for display or trophy cabinets to be installed on those 18" slabs, which
didn't make the cut in the current budget but will be kept on the new building 'wish list'. That wish list is long and will be posted on the building page soon.
Solar Panels: The size of our project has triggered a state requirement that we spend 1.5% of our budget on Green Energy Technology. After exploring a couple options it was determined that we would get the greatest bang for our buck by installing photovoltaic solar panels. We will be able to install quite a few panels with our $57,000 budget. This project is still being engineered, but more details will be posted as we progress.
Weekly Meeting: Every Thursday the building team meets in person and over video with the P&C team, the owner's rep, and architect to cover every aspect of the project. The schedule is covered in detail, looking forward 4 weeks, to make sure we are on track, the budget is also covered, issues such as unforeseen problems (nothing big so far!), choices about flooring, outlets, administration layout, etc. are discussed, and much time is spent talking about what is coming up in the weeks to come to make sure there are no surprises.
Income Potential: Now that we own our facility we can look at opportunities to raise revenue in ways that have not been possible before. The team has had this goal in mind during planning and potential revenue sources include rental of the gym, after school hours rentals, summer camp and the possibility of having the auction in our building. The gym floor will be suitable for recreational and competitive league play which will be appealing to local leagues and we will also reach out to local outfits that run summer camps and extracurricular activities.