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Facilities staff outline summer timelines for Summerville, Knightsville and Oak Brook projects
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Summary
Facilities staff reported construction and maintenance timelines for Summerville Elementary, Knightsville trailers and Oak Brook inspections, described asbestos abatement plans at Newington and noted energy-rebate opportunities for LED and HVAC upgrades.
The Director provided a line-by-line update on school construction and maintenance projects at the April 20 Dorchester District 2 facilities meeting, giving timelines for summer work and explaining logistics for furniture moves and temporary classrooms.
The Director said Summerville Elementary’s interior work is substantially complete, HVAC startup occurred this week and transformer installation took place over spring break. Inspections by OSF will determine when furniture can be brought into classrooms; the Director estimated furniture moves could occur in the last two weeks of July but emphasized that timing is contingent on the inspector’s schedule. "A 100%. 99.9," the Director said when asked about confidence in the schedule.
Staff told the board that repurposed furniture will be staged in the Summerville cafeteria and moves will be phased to avoid multiple relocations. For the high-school gym project, staff expect construction documents by June 1 and said a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) is likely to follow in late spring or early summer; one participant suggested a GMP submission as early as May 1.
Director updates also covered several other sites. Ashley Ridge additions remain on track for early June completion, though staff warned of potentially high costs if materials must be staged off-site; options for closer staging will be brought back to the board. Knightsville Elementary has an agreed schematic design that moves the bus loop away from Orangeburg Road; staff are preparing trailers for use and said the plan is to have classrooms ready in the trailers by Aug. 5 if needed.
Oak Brook Elementary is scheduled for final inspection with the state fire marshal and OSF on June 2, and furniture is staged and ready for summer delivery. The bus maintenance facility has underground utilities in place and will proceed to slab and pre-engineered building erection once the slab is poured. Crews also replaced a leaking chiller line at Summerville High and relocated lines to the roof to prevent future gym interior leaks.
On larger capital and safety items, staff reported that bids returned for a Newington ceiling-grid and abatement project will be phased over two years. The Director said asbestos-removal work will be performed under full containment with air monitoring and that two fifths of the building will be completed this summer, with the remainder scheduled in 2027. "It’s going to be a full containment project," the Director said.
Athletics and site work updates included a proposed north–south tennis court layout at the Austin campus that would remove most of an existing baseball field; designers and coaches are working through stormwater and structural analyses, with construction hoped to begin in August or September and to be ready for the spring sports season. The Ashley Ridge track replacement bid returned a single bidder; board award is anticipated soon with the target of having the track available by the fall season.
On temporary capacity and enrollment, staff said Sand Hill’s two new trailers will provide four classrooms; one unit requires restroom build-out and both require fire alarm installation. Staff aim to have the units ready for the first day of school; current enrollment projections discussed for Sand Hill are about 1,350 students. Participants discussed staffing thresholds tied to enrollment: the district adds an assistant principal when enrollment exceeds 1,000 and additional counseling and front-office support around 1,300.
Energy-efficiency work also drew attention. Oakland Elementary’s cafeteria was converted to LED lighting and qualifies for a Dominion rebate the Director described as approximately 40% of cost through June 15. The Director said Dominion has approximately $150,000 allocated for HVAC rebates and $150,000 for lighting rebates available to the district.
The Chair closed the meeting after asking that staff prepare a summary of facility walkthroughs for the next meeting to better track what has been completed and the remaining costs. There were no formal motions or votes recorded in the facilities meeting transcript.
The meeting adjourned with reminders about related school events later that evening.
