KC board continues work — and paperwork — on Renovo, Woodward renovation projects

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MILL HALL - "A time for you and a time for me

And time yet for a hundred indecisions

And for a hundred visions and revisions

Before the taking of a toast and tea."

It wasn't quite the hundred revisions described by the T.S. Eliot poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," but it was a sufficient number to create a huge stack of paperwork for the Keystone Central School District at its board meeting Tuesday evening.

The school board approved a number of changes, revisions and project accountings in connection with the Renovo and Woodward elementary schools renovation projects.

Both projects - Woodward is under construction and Renovo is under design - have been on the fast track this year as the board continues an ambitious infrastructure upgrade, with much of the work focusing on improvements to elementary schools.

In one fell swoop, the board approved:

- PlanCon Part A - Project Justification with changes received from Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Dec. 9 for the Renovo Elementary renovations.

- PlanCon Part B - Alterations received from PDE, Dec. 12, for the Renovo Elementary renovations.

- PlanCon Part G - Project accounting based on bids received Nov. 6 for the Woodward Elementary renovations.

- Change Order G9 - for the Woodward elementary Renovations.

Basically, the actions adjusted the cost of the Renovo project to the PDE's satisfaction, listed specifications and justifications for the effort, outlined the square footage and cost estimates for the project; offered a PDE review of the materials and schematic design; recommended provisions for acoustical separation between music and art room, asked that all doors open outward and recommended that the number of doors be reduced.

Also, the materials and project accounting for the Woodward project were reviewed and approved by PDE with corrections, and a change order adding $21,005 to the cost was approved for removal of unsuitable soil material and replacement of brick; and "bumper-to-bumper" warranty was added on the air compressor and drier for an additional $59.29 per year.

While extensive and deep in wordage, facts and figures, the actions represented just four more minor steps toward the successful conclusion of a multi-year, multi-school improvement effort that started with the recently-finished Mill Hall Elementary School, is continuing with the ongoing construction at the Woodward facility and is expected to go forward in a third stage at Renovo Elementary, currently in the planning stages.

Interim Superintendent Dr. John DiNunzio noted the Woodward effort is progressing extremely well.

"It's amazing how clean they've kept it," DiNunzio said. "I've walked through the site and I believe that it's well ahead of schedule."

He encouraged the board members to walk through the school, if they haven't already done so.

Board President Jack Peters said he has visited the school several times and was also pleased with the results thus far.

"It isn't going to look like an old school when it's finished," he said. "I expect we'll be as proud of this effort as we were when we re-opened the Mill Hall Elementary School."

When it comes to renovations, the Renovo Elementary School project, at an estimated cost of $4.75 million, is up next. The Renovo project was expected to go out to bid in February.

Renovo Elementary, the third of three massive elementary school renovations planned by the district, was thought to be out in the cold when it came to a major upgrade and was facing a much-reduced plan concentrating solely on heating and air conditioning.

But a sudden turn of events - including a proposal to refinance the district's outstanding debt - considerably brightened the prospects for an expanded project.

In early December, the board approved a massive, $40 million restructuring of its long-term debt, in an attempt to even out the payments and cover a number of renovation projects including the ongoing high school football stadium and physical education facility project. The restructuring also included additional funds for the needed improvements to the Renovo facility.

As it stands today, that restructuring will include $2.89 million in new debt, spread over the current debt limit into 2019.

That was good news for Renovo, because estimates suggested the district had only $1.8 million left of its over $12 million, no-interest state funding after finishing the Mill Hall Elementary School project and financing the just-started Woodward Elementary School project.

The board also combined its infrastructure upgrade with other initiatives, including energy savings projects, to stretch its dollars.

The Renovo area plan has been on the fast track since the chosen architect, Hayes Large, expressed a need to move ahead quickly as possible to keep the project on schedule for design, contract bids, construction and completion.

Bids for the Woodward effort came in at $3.51 million. Renovations are occurring during this school year, while those students attend the McGhee building in Lock Haven. Officials say it now looks like the building will be complete well before the official finish date of July 1, 2009.

Plans call for a new bus entrance at Armory Lane and the board is hoping to stretch its dollars with energy savings systems related to cooling, electrical and heating services. Preliminary plans call for installation of a geo-thermal heating and cooling system, a set of sidewalks around the front of the facility, and a new security station and reception area at the entrance.

The classrooms will maintain their present footprint but the facility will see new ceiling tiles, lighting, doors, windows and heating-cooling systems. The library would be expanded and redesigned to include computer stations.