TVSC Board Looks at 'Crumbling' Akron Elementary
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. was involved in creating a strategic plan for the school district in fall. One of the ideas that came out of that process was to do a preliminary facility assessment on Akron Elementary, Superintendent Brett Boggs stated at the school board meeting Monday night.
Gibraltar Design did the assessment and gave a brief presentation on its findings Monday night.
Dr. Lee Harman, a former superintendent with Warsaw Community Schools and now an educational consultant for Gibraltar, stated the company is well-known in Indiana. He also introduced Jim Thompson, president of Gibraltar Design, who gave the presentation on their findings.
Thompson said Gibraltar Design is a leader in educational facilities from kindergarten to colleges throughout the state. Ninety-two percent of its business is in education.
For Akron, he said there were two major categories of the assessment: the facility conditions and the learning environments. The next step is additional input and analysis, according to his slide presentation.
Thompson said the school board and administration have a difficult economic challenge – balancing the needs of the school against the financial impact to the community.
“The number one priority is you’re serving the students,” he said.
The elementary sits on approximately 12 acres. There are 96 on-site parking spaces and four handicapped spaces. The site has room for eight buses to park and 19 cars to drop students off.
In 1926, the Akron gymnasium was built. Additions and/or renovations were made in about 1948, 1959, 1965 and 1985.
Total square feet of the building area is 67,655. In 2012-13, the student population was 383 students, Thompson indicated, and the school houses grades kindergarten to fifth grade.
In evaluating the building’s condition, Gibraltar divided items into three categories: adequate, functioning or below standards. While the windows were adequate, the roof, fascia, plumbing fixtures, intercom system, telephone and restrooms were all deemed below standard in the shortened version of Gibraltar’s report to the public. Deemed “functioning” were items like sidewalks, paving, playground, electrical power, lighting, ceilings and security.
A few of the preliminary summary of improvement considerations include improving and correcting site stormwater and drainage; improving building envelope walls and roofs; upgrading the facility to meet ADA accessibility needs and code requirements; reconfiguring the kitchen and food storage; updating the plumbing and electrical systems throughout the school; and enhancing building security and communication systems.
After Thompson’s presentation, Mills and TVSC Maintenance Director Todd Glenn gave a tour of the school.
They showed the group of 18 people – including two board members and six students – the crumbling and discolored walls on the outside of the building. Glenn explained how water was leaking inside the walls through the roof, pooling in the school and staining ceiling tiles in the classrooms.
Those on the tour were shown the floor tiles in the cafeteria while Glenn said the real problem lies underneath them. “We’re just fixing the problems as they come up,” he said.
Mills explained how the school staff is using every available space in the school. Glenn discussed how the parts of the building were built at different ground levels over the years so some parts are higher than others.[[In-content Ad]]
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Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. was involved in creating a strategic plan for the school district in fall. One of the ideas that came out of that process was to do a preliminary facility assessment on Akron Elementary, Superintendent Brett Boggs stated at the school board meeting Monday night.
Gibraltar Design did the assessment and gave a brief presentation on its findings Monday night.
Dr. Lee Harman, a former superintendent with Warsaw Community Schools and now an educational consultant for Gibraltar, stated the company is well-known in Indiana. He also introduced Jim Thompson, president of Gibraltar Design, who gave the presentation on their findings.
Thompson said Gibraltar Design is a leader in educational facilities from kindergarten to colleges throughout the state. Ninety-two percent of its business is in education.
For Akron, he said there were two major categories of the assessment: the facility conditions and the learning environments. The next step is additional input and analysis, according to his slide presentation.
Thompson said the school board and administration have a difficult economic challenge – balancing the needs of the school against the financial impact to the community.
“The number one priority is you’re serving the students,” he said.
The elementary sits on approximately 12 acres. There are 96 on-site parking spaces and four handicapped spaces. The site has room for eight buses to park and 19 cars to drop students off.
In 1926, the Akron gymnasium was built. Additions and/or renovations were made in about 1948, 1959, 1965 and 1985.
Total square feet of the building area is 67,655. In 2012-13, the student population was 383 students, Thompson indicated, and the school houses grades kindergarten to fifth grade.
In evaluating the building’s condition, Gibraltar divided items into three categories: adequate, functioning or below standards. While the windows were adequate, the roof, fascia, plumbing fixtures, intercom system, telephone and restrooms were all deemed below standard in the shortened version of Gibraltar’s report to the public. Deemed “functioning” were items like sidewalks, paving, playground, electrical power, lighting, ceilings and security.
A few of the preliminary summary of improvement considerations include improving and correcting site stormwater and drainage; improving building envelope walls and roofs; upgrading the facility to meet ADA accessibility needs and code requirements; reconfiguring the kitchen and food storage; updating the plumbing and electrical systems throughout the school; and enhancing building security and communication systems.
After Thompson’s presentation, Mills and TVSC Maintenance Director Todd Glenn gave a tour of the school.
They showed the group of 18 people – including two board members and six students – the crumbling and discolored walls on the outside of the building. Glenn explained how water was leaking inside the walls through the roof, pooling in the school and staining ceiling tiles in the classrooms.
Those on the tour were shown the floor tiles in the cafeteria while Glenn said the real problem lies underneath them. “We’re just fixing the problems as they come up,” he said.
Mills explained how the school staff is using every available space in the school. Glenn discussed how the parts of the building were built at different ground levels over the years so some parts are higher than others.[[In-content Ad]]
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