Public schools getting a summer makeover

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, August 9, 2006

Improvements run from new roofs to better septic pumps.

Big brother gets everything.

First it’s his own bedroom, followed by the shinier Schwinn and first crack at the family wagon.

Meanwhile, hemmed in by headlocks, hand-me-downs and the hapless role of second fiddle, little brother’s world is characterized by constant consolation.

For Bainbridge High School, life as the senior sibling is an ice cream sandwich on a summer afternoon as a slew of improvements update the aging campus.

But what about the school district’s other offspring, the facilities not associated with the high school, that have stood by patiently as big brother took his fill?

“I’ve never perceived this as a ‘what’s in it for me’ community,” said district Superintendent Ken Crawford. “But there are several things happening that will benefit other schools.”

A new maintenance facility and a new gym floor at Blakely Elementary School, as well as roofing and utility improvements, are among the less talked about projects taking shape around the district.

Money from the $45 million school bond passed earlier this year is paying for the various improvements, some of which are further along than others.

For example, the future site of the maintenance facility is still a thicketed hillside above the district bus barn.

But according to capital projects director Tamela VanWinkle, it is one of the district’s most important projects because of the support the facility’s staff provides schools across the island.

VanWinkle said construction of a new $3.2 million, two-story maintenance structure will begin next spring.

The current building – located at the west end of the high school campus and staffed by a crew of eight who maintain both buildings and grounds throughout the district – is falling apart.

“It’s so unimpressive,” said lead groundskeeper Chris Rauch of the building where he and his colleagues often must improvise to perform their duties.

During the winter, several spots in the facility leak and some areas of the roof are so porous that the floor below is buried beneath six inches of water.

The facility’s new location near the bus shelter will allow the respective maintenance crews to share resources and also will enable the district to use land that is currently untapped, rather than encroaching on ball fields or other facilities.

Meanwhile, Blakely’s new gymnasium floor recently was installed and will be ready for the beginning of the school year.

Crawford said the old floor was “bubbling up” and was in such bad shape that it had become a safety concern.

Elsewhere, the south wing of the Commodore building is being re-roofed and Wilkes Elementary is getting two new septic pumps.

Crawford said it’s likely that several of the districts aging schools – like Blakely and Wilkes – would be candidates for renovation or replacement by way of future bond measures. Still, he acknowledged most of the improvements are occurring at the high school, mostly because that’s where there’s the most need.

“Every student ends up at the high school,” Crawford said. “Improvements there serve not just immediate needs, but the long-term as well.”