Board approves contracts to begin Smith and Harmon school renovations

The Oakwood City Board of Education on Aug. 3 approved contracts to begin design and construction work for full interior renovations at Smith and Harmon elementary schools.

Business Manager Frank Eaton told the board that the agenda included two contracts: one with Lavenport Architects and one with the district's construction manager-at-risk. "They can measure from point to point as they're doing designs. It's up to 0.25 inch of accuracy," Eaton said of the 3D laser scanning now under way at both buildings. Eaton also said thermal scans flagged areas at Smith where groundwater penetration requires attention.

The board also discussed a plan to site modular classrooms at Katherine Wright Park to stage work and reduce classroom disruption, but Eaton said the district does not own the park and must secure city permission and complete studies such as a traffic-impact analysis before moving forward. "It's not our property so we do have to get permission from the city," he said.

The motions to approve the architect and construction-manager agreements carried on voice/roll-call votes. Board members also heard that stakeholder walkthroughs with principals and architects have begun and that design work will start after contracts are finalized.

Next steps: finalized contracts will allow design work to proceed, thermal-scan results will inform plans for groundwater mitigation, and the district will pursue required city approvals and traffic analysis if modulars remain a chosen option.