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$8.5 Million Capital Project

• Renovating two middle and high school classrooms and equipping them with 90 new computer workstations. Mohonasen Director of Technology, Cindy Mendez, found lower prices on computers, enabling the district to purchase more workstations than originally planned.
• Installing new high school canopies and signs — making the school office, auditorium and gym entrances more attractive and prominent.
• Repairing concrete walkways, repaving roadways and parking lots and adding a right-hand turn lane to the Curry Road entrance. A new sign was also erected on Curry Road to make the school entrance more visible.

An update on other construction work:

• Installation of a new roof at Bradt Elementary School is nearly completed a year ahead of schedule.
• 57 new lockers will be installed at Mohonasen High School in November — enough to accommodate every student.
• A new high school weight room is scheduled for completion this fall. In the meantime, the high school weight room equipment has been moved to the middle school gym, where it can be used by high school students.
• Construction of a multi-purpose room at Draper Middle School is scheduled for completion in January. This room will be large enough to hold 120-150 people for school and community group meetings, and to house the middle school’s growing orchestra program. 
• The high school library expansion and reconfiguration is also scheduled for completion in February. The new foundation has been poured and the walls have been erected. The original school library is being used in the mean time.
• Expansion of the high school’s new drama/performing arts areas is scheduled for completion in February. The project includes new a new band room, make-up stations and overhead storage for the stage.

With new traffic patterns working well at both Bradt and Pinewood schools, an updated technology infrastructure in place throughout the entire district, a new heating system at Bradt, and other needed improvements to Pinewood and the district’s bus garage, Phases I and III of the $8.5 million capital project have been completed. Mohonasen administration and its architectural firm, Cataldo, Waters and Griffith Architects (CWG) are now busy preparing for project work at the middle and high schools which is Phase II – the last phase of the capital project that voters approved in May 2004.

Scheduled to begin in spring 2006, construction and improvements to Draper Middle School and Mohonasen High School include:

• A multi-purpose room at Draper to accommodate 120 to 150 students at a time for team-wide meetings, school and community groups, and the middle school’s growing orchestra program.

• A new band room and expansion of the drama/performing arts areas at the high school to better serve the increasing numbers of students who participate in Mohonasen’s award-winning performing arts program.

• Reconfiguring and expanding the high school library to create more reading and independent work spaces for students.

• Expanding the high school weight room to accommodate the increased number of students who use the facility to improve their performance on and off the playing fields.

• Redesigning the high school entrances to be more attractive and more prominent.

• Adding exterior lighting and surveillance cameras in the high school parking lots.

• Repaving the entrance road and existing parking lots.

• Adding 75 student lockers at the high school.

In addition, Bradt’s main roof will be reconstructed in summer 2006.

“These enhancements to our facilities and technology infrastructure will help the district continue to provide a quality educational structure in which our students can learn,” says Mohonasen Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Spring. “They also help us to provide quality facilities for our employees and community to use while meeting the needs of our growing academic, athletic, theater, and music programs.”

According to Robert Bonaker, Mohonasen’s business superintendent, preliminary plans for Phase II were submitted to the State Education Department (SED) for review in late- August. While the state reviews those plans, CWG is working on bid specifications, architectural designs, and a preliminary cost analysis. Upon approval by the Board of Education, final plans for Phase II are expected to be submitted to SED in early-December with its approval expected in February. Site work at Draper Middle School and Mohonasen High School is anticipated to begin in April 2006 with the project work substantially completed by the end of that year.

Phases I and III of the district’s $8.5 million capital project are heating up this summer as improvements to Bradt Primary School, Pinewood Intermediate School, the district’s bus garage and technology infrastructure are well underway. The construction of the new concession stand located behind Draper Middle School is also making rapid progress.

As planned as part of the capital project, Mohonasen’s Board of Education has hired a construction manager for the summer to oversee the project work to ensure its quality and that it remains on schedule.

Bradt and Pinewood Schools: With sitework completed at Bradt for construction of a second exit-only access road and at Pinewood for the creation of separate traffic patterns, construction crews are busy paving those roadways. Details about the new traffic patterns will be available on the Mohonasen Web site and mailed home to parents before school starts in September.

Other improvements in progress at the schools include the conversion of Bradt’s steam heating system to a more energy efficient system; reconstruction of the main roof at Pinewood; and resurfacing Pinewood’s gym floors.

Bus Garage: Improvements to the bus garage’s roof, heating and ventilation system, and lighting began this month and will be complete by the end of August.

Concession Stand: Construction of a new concession stand began in early-June and will be completed by mid-August in time for the facility to be used for fall sports and events. Larger than the current concession stand, the facility will be able to serve more customers faster and volunteers working at the stand will be able to see the action on the field. The new concession stand will be ready in time for fall sports.

Technology: Throughout the summer, work is in progress to improve the district’s technology infrastructure. Contractors are busy upgrading the entire network, installing new electric cabling in each school building, and upgrading the phone, voicemail and email systems. All of these upgrades continue the district’s commitment to being a leader in technology.

Phase II project work at Draper Middle School and Mohonasen High School are scheduled to begin in Spring 2006. Cataldo, Waters and Griffith Architects are in the process of developing the designs for this phase.

Robert Bonaker, assistant superintendent for business, says, “All aspects of the project are on schedule and are within the budget allocated by the Board. The improvements being made over the summer will be a reality by opening day of school in September."

All the necessary approvals for Phase I and the concession stand have been received from the State Education Department. Bids for the projects were thoroughly reviewed by the architectural firm of Cataldo Waters Griffith (CWG Architects), along with district administration.

"We had a very good turnout and response from the bidders," says Karl Griffith, project architect.

According to Superintendent Dr. Oliver Robinson, the project should be within the budget limits established last spring when it was approved by local voters.