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Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Schools see major summer renovations
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
Demolition of a portion of St. Helens High School has been completed at this site on Gable Road.
Originally published in The Chronicle Vol. 140 August 3, 2022 JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
The $65 million renovations, including replacing aging portions of St. Helens High School, continue this summer. Demolition in the old A building section has been completed, according to the district’s facilities manager Jared Plahn. “The contractor is working on installing underground utilities and installing the fire lane,” he said. “Next, we will be building that section of the new building.” Plahn said while the renovations timeline is moving ahead, budget challenges are occurring. “We are currently tracking on time with a completion date of September 2024,” he said. “We are finding costs are increasing and adjusting the scope of the project to stay within budget.” St. Helens School District Superintendent Scot Stockwell said the district is facing challenges triggered by inflation and labor shortages. Stockwell said reports that inflation had hit a 40 year high at 9% is concerning. “A 9% inflation increase on a $65 million construction project gives you a $5.8 million increase in costs,” he said. “We’ve had to reduce the number of classrooms, limit the number of windows we wanted to add as well as reduce scope in some CTE programs. We are hopeful to see favorable bids and cost savings in the months to come to add back some of the reduced scope.” The renovations will continue into the new school year ahead. Building adjustments, including the addition of portable classrooms, have been established at the school site on Gable Road. Daily class schedules will reflect closely to last year, according to Plahn. Other projects The McBride Elementary front canopy, dry fire sprinkler line has been replaced. “We had nine patches on the piping and it had deteriorated to the point of replacement being the best option,” Plahn said. The district office and Family Resource Center were scheduled to be painted this summer. “The building is overdue by two years to be caulked
and painted,” he said. The St. Helens Middle School baseball field is undergoing work. “The field was installed with rocky soil,” Plahn said. “The rocks have come up over the winter. We will be installing more irrigation, topdressing and reseeding to cover up the rock.” The Middle School will have numerous site items built this summer and this fall. The Middle School has an electrical feeder to a breaker panel that has lost a leg and the feeder will be replaced. It is uncertain as to why the wire broke. “We will be adding a discus pad, shot put pad, football bleacher pad, football scoreboard, athletic storage shed, and additional crosswalk,” he said. “These items were found to be needed after the Middle School bond program concluded.” Also planned, will be new concrete and asphalt for the district’s maintenance shop sidewalk and apron. The sidewalk and apron have been patched numerous times and are at the point where it needs to be replaced, according to Plahn. The school building projects of $832,00 are being financed from bond and capital projects funding. Clatskanie School District Major building and security improvements at the Clatskanie School District are also underway this summer. The multiple projects are taking place at Clatskanie Middle/High School (CMHS) and at Clatskanie Elementary School (CES). CMHS Projects • Secure entrance and Phase 1 front office remodel • Mechanical rooftop unit replacement • Pumps and boilers system replacement • Locker room water heater replacement • Roof restoration • Media Center window replacement • Fire Alarm System replacement • 2nd Floor corridor flooring replacement • Restroom upgrades Phase I • Upper Commons renovation including hallway and flooring A new track surface is also being added at the high school athletic field. The major breakdown of the track surface was not included in the original bond plans and
Courtesy photo from the Clatskanie School District
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chronicle
This photo shows the gutted front office looking out onto the existing courtyard at Clatskanie Middle/High School.
Rainier School District Superintendent Joseph Hattrick shows what the new bathrooms will look like, with individual private stalls, as workers in the background prepare the site.
is being financed outside the original $10 million. The replacement has begun and will be complete by mid-summer.
gendered bathroom and for those uncomfortable, there would be alternate bathrooms. • Hudson Park Elementary School will have one boys, one girls, and two single-stall bathrooms available for use. • Rainier Jr/Sr High School will have one boys, one girls, and three single stall bathrooms for use by staff and students. • The commons will have single stall restrooms for use and gendered bathrooms will remain available in locker rooms.
CES Projects • Secure entry upgrade • Roof replacement • Intercom/Switchboard upgrade • Cardiff Door replacement What is next •New blacktop at CES and CMHS –new blacktop has been postponed to summer 2023 in the hopes that oil prices will have dropped, and the cost will not be quite so exorbitant as today. •The complete division of the middle school and high school -Beginning in September 2022 all middle school classes will be on the second floor and all high school on the main floor other than science. In September 2023 that will permanently be reversed –all middle school classes will be on the main floor and high schoolers will have the second floor. • Lighting and sound upgrades to the auditorium • Bathroom Upgrades Phase 2 • Complete flooring upgrades • Completion of office and student services area Projects based on need Clatskanie School Board member Kathy Engel said the projects underway this summer are based on immediate need. “Such as roofs and our HVAC systems, as well as the very high priority of security, and costs,” she said. “We have postponed paving due to the huge inflation in cost of asphalt in the hopes it will be lower next summer if oil prices go down.” Engel said McKinstry, the school district’s contractor, is conducting the most intrusive projects during the summer months. “Work that must be done during the school year will be done with the least amount of interruption as possible and will make the needs of the staff and students a priority,” she said. “Most of it will not impact the classrooms.” Engel said new security measures are being established at the schools, including secure entries at both the middle/high school and at the elementary school. “During the initial arrival of students and staff in the morning the doors will be open as they always have
been, but once the school day begins the doors will be locked and visitors will need to come through the front entry and be buzzed in by staff,” she said, adding that currently the school doors can be locked from the inside. Funding for the school improvements is coming from a voter-approved $10 million bond and $4 million from the Oregon Department of Education. “We are constantly looking for more grants and avenues of paying for the current and planned upgrades,” Engel said. “Giving an ‘estimated cost’ is a luxury that no longer exists in the current building environment. As stated in the bond report, everything is running 30% higher than when this bond was passed. It remains to be seen how far we can stretch these dollars and the team is constantly prioritizing every penny spent.” Rainier School District renovations Significant building renovations are being conducted at the Rainier School District. The Chronicle talked with Rainier School District Superintendent Joseph Hattrick to gain insight into the why the projects are needed now and what the impact will be for students and staff at the schools. The Chronicle: What specific projects are being conducted this summer at Rainier schools? Joseph Hattrick: In June, we focused our efforts on reopening the Briarcliff pool and had a successful reopening. The facilities team is now working on remodeling two of our restroom areas in response to community concerns about equity. We are transforming our restrooms so students in the high school and the commons will have access to both gendered and non-gendered restrooms. • The bathroom discussion began last year through the Facility assessment and plan. • The facility team did a site visit to look at what single stall restrooms look like. • At a board meeting in May, there were public comments asking about how the district handles students using bathrooms who identify as a different gender than that which they were born. • At the June Board meeting I presented a facility plan and the board approved it which would ensure all students have access to their
We are also remodeling our wrestling room to ensure a safer learning and athletic space for our students. We are also re-installing three poles at our football stadium and replacing all lights with LED lights so that there is better lighting in the event of the need to have outdoor learning/ meeting spaces. We are also implementing the rules of HB 3294 which requires feminine products and dispensers in all restrooms. We will be working with a group to reorganize and ensure the woodshop is ready for students when they return in September. Finally, we are reviewing bids to re-roof some of our buildings and working with an envelope general consultant to determine the cause of the elementary gym floor damage and once we receive their report, we will be remediating the water and repairing the floor. All of this is in addition to the normal deep clean throughout our buildings and upkeep of our beautiful campus. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the facilities team (which includes maintenance and custodial) for all of their hard work! The Chronicle: Why those specific projects? Hattrick: All of the projects we have identified were prioritized through a collaborative effort last year. Through our Facility Assessment which was conducted by Soderstrom Architects and worked with a Facility Committee to determine campus priorities. Additionally, through public forums, board meetings, and advisory council meetings, additional priorities were identified, and we are doing our best to determine those projects that could be accomplished this summer that will have a positive impact on students and safety in the fall. The Chronicle: What projects will be continuing
during the upcoming school year, why those projects and how will students and staff work around those projects? Hattrick: All of the projects listed above are projected to be completed before students return. We have not yet identified the fall projects but any we choose to address will not interfere with students and learning.
The Chronicle: What new security measures are being established at the schools and how will those measures alter how students, staff and visitors enter and exit the school buildings? Hattrick: This summer we are also revising all safety plans at all of our schools to ensure all of our drills and procedures are done in a way to ensure all are aware of safety protocols. Additionally, we are installing cameras and a buzz-in system at each of the main entrances, so visitors will be required to have access granted rather than leaving external doors unlocked. This is an incredible improvement from the past. The Chronicle: Are the school doors throughout the buildings able to be locked from inside? If not, is that part of the new security system? Hattrick: Yes, they are able to be locked from the inside and will be to ensure access from the outside is limited. The Chronicle: What is the total estimated cost of all the summer projects planned at the schools, and how will that cost be funded? Hattrick: While the total costs are still unknown as we are awaiting bids, those projects that we have initiated will cost above $300,000 so it is reasonable to assume all projects will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 - $600,000. We are using a combination of grant funds as well as general funds. The Chronicle: What projects are planned for the district after this summer? Any new schools? Hattrick: We are in the planning phase to further review our facility assessment and plan. The goal of the facility committee would be to remodel buildings with the possibility of building a new elementary building and remove all portable structures. We are unsure of how we will proceed at this time.
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