The roofs at the middle school and high school have been replaced with a twenty year warranty roof. We did have a problem in the gym area at the middle school which has a newer roof and was not totally replaced but the company was able to identify the problem area around a drain and placed a special silicone sealant in that area that should take care of the problem. We will keep an eye on that area and the company has assured us there will not be a problem and if one develops it will be handled immediately.
The old boilers at the middle school have been removed. This process was very difficult as each piece had to be cut out because of the size of the three old boilers. A new hot water system is up and running and a new heating system will be in place by the end of September. The cooling system will be installed next summer. This will be a huge plus for the district as we will finally be able to control the temperature in the middle school building in all of the rooms.
New windows have been ordered for the middle school and the window project should be completed by this coming February. Students and teachers will be moved from one room to another a room at a time as the new windows are installed. There should be very little disruption to the school day as we move through this process. The new windows will have a darker tint from the outside for safety and security as well as to help with temperature control.
The middle school gymnasium received new remote controlled baskets that were required by the health inspector for safety reasons and the local electrical union did a great job putting these units into place prior to the new volleyball season.
The new bus garage that is to be built on the lower parking lot at the high school will begin to be built sometime in mid-September and should be finished in late November. The bus garage is part of our contract with the Petermann Bus Company and the funds are not from the Bond/PI issue that was passed last May.
A new elementary gymnasium will be built on the area near the old outside swimming pool at the high school and construction on that project will begin in the spring and be completed by next school year.
The major renovation of the middle school and high school will take place next summer and as a result the 2014-15 school year will begin after Labor Day. The 2014-15 school calendar will be on the school website in a few weeks after the Coventry Board of Education adopts it at their next meeting. As a result of a late start our Spring Break in 2015 will be shortened to just a long weekend. Depending on the construction schedule, the weather and other factors it may be necessary to have a start after Labor Day two years in a row. We will make that decision towards the end of this year.
We continue to work on the Lakeview building and transforming it into a permanent administrative office. By utilizing the Lakeview building instead of renting space for administrative offices we will save the district a great deal of money over the next several years. The administrators and maintenance staff have done a lot of work themselves in this building and we plan to have an open house as soon as the painting and carpeting are completed which should be over the next two weeks. I am happy to say that the work being done in this building that was bid out went to local business people and the plumbing and electrical work was also done by local contractors who live in our district.
I will send out another update in October. Again, thank you for your commitment to the young people in our community both now and in the future. Please feel free to call me 330-644-8489 or e-mail me ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns.