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Hamtramck board approves bid to renovate Hamtramck High School restrooms
Summary
The Hamtramck School District Board of Education unanimously approved a contractor award to renovate restrooms at Hamtramck High School, a project designers said will replace roughly century-old plumbing and fixtures and add two single‑use restrooms. Funding was identified from a school aid allocation the district received.
The Hamtramck School District Board of Education voted to award a contract to renovate restrooms at Hamtramck High School at its meeting (date not specified), approving the project by a 6-0 vote with one member absent.
The board approved a resolution to "award the bid for 12 room renovation at [the] high school," after a presentation by architects and project staff. Joe Kinchemi, senior project manager with Harrison Architects, told the board the building’s restroom plumbing and finishes are original to a 1930s building and that a cast‑iron urinal failure earlier this year caused water damage to the first‑floor ceiling. "My name is Joe Kinchemi. I'm a senior project manager with Harrison Architects, and we've been asked by the Board of Education to put together a package to renovate the high school restrooms," Kinchemi said.
Kinchemi and the architects described a design that preserves the building’s historic character while installing modern, barrier‑free fixtures. The project scope includes two gang restrooms (one boys’ and one girls’) on first and second floors and two additional single‑use restrooms, totaling about 1,100 square feet of remodeled space. The architects said wall finishes will reference existing 1930s mosaic tile and that the work will replace plumbing from the basement up through the second floor.
District staff and project consultants told the board the work is scheduled for completion during the summer to avoid disrupting the school year. A consultant acknowledged renovation of a nearly 100‑year‑old building carries risk of unexpected conditions and that the contract includes contingency funds to cover unforeseen repairs. As a project manager put it, "the biggest fear for us is more cost than it is time." (This comment was attributed in the transcript to a presenter identified as "Michael" during the meeting.)
School staff said the district will use funding from a school aid package identified in the meeting as "12 d funding" provided to the district; the transcript attributes that funding to recognition by a representative (name given as "Iash" in the record). The architects said including two single‑use restrooms was efficient because pipes were already being run as part of the larger renovation.
The board recorded the vote after roll call. Miss Hall, Mister O'Hane, Hunter, Victor and Wade each voted "aye"; the tally reported was six ayes and one absence, and the motion carried.
The board did not provide a detailed construction schedule or final contractor name in the public portion of the meeting; the presentation included sample finish boards and a floor plan. Staff said the district has vetted the tile contractor and is coordinating scheduling with other current high‑school projects, including ongoing HVAC and pool work.
The board did not set an effective completion date in the meeting. Public materials and the formal contract award (resolution text and contractor identity) were presented during the meeting; the board indicated further details would appear in contract documents and routine project reporting.
