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| Joe Arbuckle, a worker with Laborer's Local 362, cleaned up the new gymnasium in Bloomington Junior High School, Friday morning. Workers are planning to sand and finish the floor next week as the beginning of school approaches. |
BLOOMINGTON - Ending the usual boredom that eventually
sets in over the long summer break isn't the only reason C.B. Manahan is
looking forward to going back to school this week.
He and 1,300 of his classmates will be attending a renovated Bloomington
Junior High School, the result of a 14-month, $6.5 million facelift that
is part of District 87's largest building project in decades. But Manahan
has a jump on other BJHS students.
As the son of Colin Manahan, District 87's director of facilities, the
eighth-grader got a sneak peek at the renovations his father oversaw,
including the addition of 10 new "smart classrooms" that officials say
will have a significant effect on the use of technology at the school.
"I think everything is going to be great" said the younger Manahan.
Although the BJHS project is the centerpiece of renovations this year,
every school in the district is being fixed up, expanded or otherwise
rejuvenated in projects ranging from the installation of air conditioning
and asbestos abatement to added kindergarten classroom space and new
playgrounds.
"It is the first significant capitol project in the district in almost 50
years,"said Superintendent Bob Nielsen, referring to the construction of
Bloomington High School, which started in 1957 and took two years to
complete.
When all is said and done, the district expects to spend more than $25
million over the seven-year life of the capital improvement campaign that
began three years ago.
"It is all being done without increases to the
taxpayer,"said Nielsen, noting the district's long-term debt was
readjusted when interest rates were lower. "All the renovations are being
made without the need for increasing the tax rate."
Putting the significance of the project's scope another way, David Wood,
chief legal and financial officer, said the cost of the upgrades represent
about 25 percent of the value of all of District 87's buildings.
The current value of those buildings, including the district offices in
downtown Bloomington, the high school, BJHS, six elementary schools, and
an early education school is estimated at $100 million. If the district
were to replace the buildings today, it would cost about $140 million.
Because the district's buildings are older, some well over 50 years, there
are considerable annual maintenance costs as well. "Every year between
half to $1 million is spent on maintaining the buildings," said Wood.
The major renovations are generally being worked into the 10-week window
in the summer when annual maintenance is normally done.
"Colin (Manahan) and his crew and contractors did a wonderful job of
orchestrating it. They know just when this crew leaves and the next one
comes in," Nielsen said.
"I wear a dual hat," said Manahan, referring to his roles as administrator
of construction and as a parent.
Getting things rolling
It was parents, through their involvement on the district's Citizen
Advisory Council, who got the ball rolling in 2002.
Nielsen specifically mentions the vision of three people, Jeff Solberg,
Mary Current and Stan Geison as the "motivators" behind the construction
campaign.
"The big opportunity we had was that the district was in a good financial
shape from the standpoint it was paying down its debt," said Geison. That
made it possible to restructure debt and update facilities without
increasing the cost to taxpayers, he said.
"The timing was right," agreed Solberg, who was especially involved with
finances, an area of his expertise.
He and a group of District 87 parents toured all the schools and talked to
principals, teachers and students to find out their needs. The goal was to
improve the learning environment for students and the teaching environment
for teachers.
Part of that process included the recommendation for air conditioning
since the learning environment in classrooms was poor about 10 percent of
the school year. Now, all classrooms are air conditioned.
"About 5,000 kids are going through District 87 every year for the next 50
years," said Solberg, referring to the importance of maintaining and
upgrading the schools.
Current, a new teacher at Irving Elementary School this year, said there
were a lot of people involved in deciding what should be done at each
building.
Things needed to be done at each school to keep students and staff safe
and more comfortable and provide the technology and services competitive
with what other school districts are doing, she said.
"My kids are glad to have access to better facilities," said the mother of
three.
Her youngest, Matthew, is a fifth-grader at Washington School, where
hundreds of volunteers, including Current's family that includes BJHS
eighth-grader Hanna and BHS junior Claire, helped build a new
state-of-the-art playground.
BHS also has seen several improvements, including a new entrance area, new
doors, new tiling in hallways, and a new weight room.
Throughout the process, District 87 school board members and others who
were involved toured with Nielsen to see the changes.
"It is absolutely gorgeous" said board member Jan Smith after seeing the
improvements at Irving School.
Many of the changes are both aesthetic and practical, said Nielsen. At the
high school for example, extended green space helps offset increased
energy costs from heat retained from the parking lot, while creating a
positive atmosphere for people entering the building.
Although students will see a lot of the dramatic changes when they start
classes on Thursday, plans for next year are also ambitious: Work
continues on restoring Bent Elementary to match the "gorgeous" picture of
the building when it first opened, Nielsen said. "Efforts are under way to
restore the school to its former glory."
Already, the removal of dark panels from windows has returned natural
light to the library. "You'll be amazed how much different it is," Nielsen
said.
BJHS extreme makeover
What: Bloomington Junior High, 901 N. Colton Ave.
Change: Added 30,000 square feet to the 170,665-square-foot-building for
1,300 students
Why: 20 percent expansion to address overcrowding and update technology
Architect: Fanning/Howey Associates Inc., Indianapolis
Contractors: Johnston Contractors Inc., Bloomington
Engineer: BAA Engineering, Bloomington
Site design: Farnsworth Group, Bloomington
Cost: $6.5 million; no increase to taxpayers
Timing: Groundbreaking July 13, 2005; classes start Thursday
Ready for back to school
Physical changes District 87 staff and students will see when classes
start this week:
Bloomington High School: Improved entrance area, new doors, new
tiling in hallway following asbestos abatement, new landscaping, new
weight room, connecting tunnel repaired.
Bloomington Junior High: Ten new, full-sized technology-smart classrooms,
two smaller classrooms, new nurse's room, conference room, new gym, locker
rooms, other improvements.
Bent Elementary School: Air conditioning in the library, windows replacing
panels, other improvements.
Irving Elementary School: New sidewalks, fencing, playground, landscaping,
green space.
Oakland Elementary School: Two new classrooms for full-day kindergarten,
air conditioning in fourth-fifth grade wing, new tile, asbestos abatement.
Sarah Raymond School: Fresh paint, new playground and improvements with
the help of the PTO and the City of Bloomington.
Sheridan Elementary School: Finishing air conditioning, painting, marker
boards, and lights.
Stevenson Elementary School: Interior doors, floor tile, and rooms
repainted.
Washington Elementary School: New sidewalks, resurfaced parking lot, new
fencing and landscaping, entrance improvements.
Sources: District 87 Superintendent Bob Nielsen, District 87 schools
Copyright © 2006, Pantagraph Publishing Co. All rights reserved.