Voters approved the West Babylon Union Free School District's (WBUFSD) $29.954 million construction bond issue for infrastructure improvements and renovations. The construction program will encompass seven schools and two other buildings owned by the district, and will begin in the summer of 2015. The district serves grades K-12 with a current enrollment of 4,300 students.
BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers serves as the architect; interior designer; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineer; civil engineer; and site and athletic field designer for the entire construction program financed by the bond. The value of voter-approved school construction bonds for programs designed by BBS on L.I. and in the greater N.Y. area in the last 24 months exceeds $350 million. The firm also designed one of the state's first LEED certified public schools, Hampton Bays Middle School in Hampton Bays, which received LEED Silver rating.
"The district's facilities have not received any significant improvements for more than ten years. The construction program will modernize all buildings occupied by students and faculty, improve interior air quality, increase safety of motorized traffic within school grounds, and rebuild athletic fields," said BBS principal architect Roger Smith, AIA, LEED AP.
Voters were asked to approve a $30 million project scope. The district anticipates receiving 64.6% of the cost in NYS Building Aid, reducing the cost of this project for taxpayers. Local residents are expected to pay only 35.4% of the total cost, amounting to $96 per year or $8 per month for an average homeowner.
"Work will begin in the summer of 2015, and is expected to be completed within the following five or six years," said BBS architect and project manager Karalisa Grundner, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. "The broadness of the project and complex logistics of a multi-site program will require detailed planning and close coordination with the district's leadership."
Construction will take place at the district's seven schools, including West Babylon Senior High School and Junior High School, Forest Ave. Elementary School, John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Santapogue Elementary School, South Bay Elementary School, and Tooker Ave. Elementary School, as well as at two other buildings. The district's school buildings were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s. With the exception of the one-story, masonry and wood frame Santapogue Elementary School, all educational facilities feature structural steel frames and masonry walls. The previous school construction bond, approved by the district's voters in 1998, financed improvements and renovations that took place from 1999 to 2005.
Without major renovations for over 10 years, many of the buildings, building systems, roadways, and athletic facilities require significant repairs, upgrades and improvements.
"In 2010, BBS prepared New York State Department of Education-mandated Building Condition Survey Report (BCSR), which outlined deficiencies and required repairs for all buildings within the district," said BBS senior associate, director of engineering & technology Frederick Seeba, P.E., LEED AP. "Based on the BCSR findings and input from the faculty, in 2013 the district's administration developed a preliminary scope of necessary upgrades and renovations. In early 2014, in anticipation of financing the work through a construction bond issue, the board of education members, the district's staff, and representatives of the community, including PTA members, created a study group charged with developing the final scope of work and budget. The group met throughout 2014."
BBS staff participated in all meetings in order to present the findings of the 2010 BCSR and updated physical plant surveys. The firm assisted the study group members during walk-throughs and visits to school buildings, answered questions from members of the local community attending the meetings, and analyzed various construction scope options and their costs. At the end of the review process, the study group recommended the final scope of needed work and established the cost.
The bond will finance estimated $29.954 million of construction work. The cost of work at each of the schools will be as follows: $3.3 million at Forest Ave. Elementary School; $1.9 million at John F. Kennedy Elementary School; $1.2 million at Santapogue Elementary School; $203,300 at South Bay Elementary School; $2.2 million at Tooker Ave. Elementary School, $4.2 million at West Babylon High School, and $6.1 million at the junior high school. An additional $401,000 will cover the needs for the Driver's Building and $266,200 for the Bus Garage.
Grundner said, "Improvements will include repairs to roofs and exterior masonry walls; renovations and ADA compliance upgrades to bathrooms; new exterior and interior lighting aimed at improving security and energy efficiency; replacements of doors, hardware, and window glazing; reconstruction of athletic fields and installation of synthetic turf surfaces; replacements of deteriorated gymnasium flooring; rerouting and renovations to bus loops, parking lots, curbs, and sidewalks, with parking lot drainage added; renovations to the district's bus garage and drivers' building; and installation of a new in-ground diesel fuel tank."
The three-story, 234,523 s/f West Babylon Senior High School, constructed inn 1958, is home to 1,452 students in grades 9 to12. Additions to the building were constructed in 1967 and 2006. At this school, crews will build a new bus loop and parking; sidewalks will be renovated and expanded; a new synthetic turf field and baseball field will be installed; all grass fields will be renovated; the old wood flooring in gym A will be replaced with a synthetic floor; and locker rooms will be renovated.
Constructed in 1956 and expanded in 1966, West Babylon Junior High School is a two-story, 174,403 s/f structure that serves grades 6 to 8 with a current enrollment of over 1,000 students. WBJHS's Eagle Hall will be renovated, and its existing front canopy, which is causing structural damage due to its weight, will also be renovated. As with WBSHS, a new synthetic turf field will be installed and renovations will be made to the press box and locker rooms. Parking lots, curbs, and sidewalks will be renovated.
Both of the district's Senior High School and Junior High School will have refurbished bathrooms, as the original bathrooms are not ADA compliant. Roofs will also be refurbished. Improvements will be made to the electrical and heating systems, which are outdated and inefficient. All damaged floor and ceiling tiles will be replaced throughout both schools. Original doors and hardware, some more than 60 years old, will be replaced. Other interior work will include new paint at all classrooms as well as replacement or repairs to casework in selected spaces. Exterior lighting will be improved to enhance security.
There are five elementary schools within the West Babylon Union Free School District, all of which will receive similar scope of work in repairs, renovations, and reconstruction. These include bathrooms being refurbished and made ADA compliant; refurbished roofs; improvements made to the electrical and heating systems; damaged floor and ceiling tile repairs and replacements; doors and hardware replacements; selected window glazing replacements; security improvements to exterior lighting; renovations and revisions to parking lots, curbs, and sidewalks; and reconstructions and improvements to athletic fields at all elementary school facilities.
The two-story, 47,600 s/f Forest Ave. Elementary School was built in 1956 and has a current enrollment of 334 students in grades K to 5. Upgrades will be made to electrical service and site lighting; the parking lot, bus loop, and concrete curbing; asphalt sidewalks; and the basketball courts within the asphalt play area. Masonry exterior walls, lintels, chimneys, exterior doors, exterior steps/ramps, windows, roof, skylights, and casework in selected classrooms will be either replaced or repaired. There will be an added two-stop elevator and accessible, ADA-compliant girls/boys and faculty toilet rooms, with improved plumbing. Improvements will also be made to the power distribution system.
John F. Kennedy Elementary School is home to 440 students in grades K to 5. The building was constructed in 1964 and expanded in 2003. Site improvements will include new pole-mounted site lighting and site drainage. Asphalt and curbing repairs will be made at all parking areas, bus loops, and playgrounds. A full reconstruction of the retaining walls, and exterior ramps/steps will be made. Exterior walls, chimneys, exterior doors, exterior ramps/steps, windows, roof, and skylights will undergo renovations. Casework in classrooms will be renovated, the stage curtain in the auditorium will be replaced, and toilet partitions at the boys and girls locker rooms and gym will be replaced.
Additional strobe lights will be provided to conform to the current fire code. Where necessary, emergency lighting and exit lights will be replaced. Improvements in plumbing will be made, and rotted close flanges will be replaced along with CR sinks, bubblers, and flush valves. A nurse's office toilet room will be renovated, including all fixtures, tile, and accessories.
The one-story, 55,526 s/f Santapogue Elementary School was built in 1951 and expanded in 1952, 1963, and 2007. It houses 386 students in grades K to 5. Site improvements will include a deep drainage pool to be constructed at the north side of the playground area. Asphalt renovations will be made to the playground area as well as to the east sidewalk. Exterior renovations will include repairs to walls, the chimney, exterior ramps/steps, and windows. Kitchen flooring will be replaced with more durable tile flooring and other floors throughout the building will be either repaired or replaced.
South Bay Elementary School is a one-story, 46,850 s/f structure, re-built from fire in 2011. The building accommodates 331 students in grades K to 5. This elementary school will undergo the most extensive site improvements. At the east parking lot and bus drop off, new drainage will be installed with additional pavement repairs and overlay. Asphalt sidewalks along the building at the east drop-off loop will be replaced with concrete sidewalks. Concrete curbing at the east and west sides of the parking lot will be replaced. At the west side of the building, asphalt pavement will be replaced in the vicinity of drainage structures.
The two-story, 52,316 s/f Tooker Ave. Elementary School was built in 1962 and expanded in 2005. It houses 340 students in grades K to 5. At this location, concrete and asphalt sidewalks will be replaced or repaired. Renovations will be made to exterior walls, the chimney, exterior doors, and windows. Interior renovations will include replacement of casework in classrooms and a phased replacement of flooring throughout all classrooms, storage rooms, reading and speech rooms, the nurse's office and other offices. The building will be made ADA compliant with renovations to toilets at the nurse's office, the girls and boys toilet rooms at the first and second floors, and to faculty toilet rooms. ADA improvements will also include the widening of doors and new partitions and fixtures. A portable wheelchair lift will provide access to the stage. Wall padding will be added at the gym. The school will also receive plumbing repairs in selected areas.
At the district's 1,950 s/f Bus Garage, originally constructed in 1950, the roof will be refurbished, and the in-ground diesel fuel tank, which is currently too small to support the district's daily fuel needs, will be replaced with a larger one. The ceiling and flooring in the 1,500 s/f Driver's Building, built in 1984, will also be replaced. Electrical and heating systems will be upgraded. Improvements will be made to the interior and exterior lighting. Exterior doors will be replaced and repairs will be made to the building masonry and parking lot drainage.
Roger Smith, AIA, Principal of BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers, led the architectural and engineering team that designed all improvements and upgrades to be financed by the West Babylon Union Free School District's $29,953,754 construction bond. Tags: