Just one year after the completion of the new Shelby High School, the Shelby Board of Education must now consider the welfare of the district’s other buildings after the latest facilities update.
Shelby’s Building and Grounds Coordinator Scott Harvey explained building renovations are desperately needed for Central School, Auburn Elementary, Dowds Elementary, Shelby Middle School and Skiles Field. Repairs needed include window replacements, roof replacements, HVAC systems, lighting, asphalt, and masonry and concrete repairs.
In addition to a 12 percent architecture and engineering fee, the total budget estimate comes to $14,867,732.
“I went with contractors that are reliable and I’ve known and worked with for years and got budget number so we can start to prepare what we need to do,” said Harvey. “We know we need to start updating our other buildings. We have to do something with them.”
Auburn Elementary, Dowds Elementary and Shelby Middle School are the three schools currently housing students. According to Harvey, Auburn was built in 1948, Dowds in 1954 and Shelby Middle School – formerly Shelby High School – in 1965.
“We have not done any renovations to these buildings other than small things like restrooms,” said Harvey.
In his report, Harvey detailed the maintenance required in the buildings through the last school year, including a number of flooding problems in Auburn and Dowds Elementary due to corroded water lines, abating tiles in Central and Auburn, and weighting down the Auburn Elementary roof to prevent losing it.
“Five years ago we lost the Central roof, and I didn’t want that to happen cause it was bound to happen, so we got 250 tires to put on the roof and weigh it down, breaking the suction so it doesn’t lift that roof,” explained Harvey. The 250 tires worth $400 were donated from Bob Burkey Hauling & Reusable Tires.
Another maintenance measure throughout the school year was the addition of air conditioning units to individual classrooms. Harvey stated this was not a long-term solution because the buildings’ electric service cannot support that many air conditioners, suggesting instead the installation of HVAC systems for Auburn, Dowds and Shelby Middle School for a total estimated cost of $5,573,370.
To provide air conditioning for only the classrooms in Auburn, Dowds and Shelby Middle School, Harvey stated it would cost the district an estimated $2,200,000.
“I don’t think that kind of money is a worthwhile investment when you can do HVAC, which is heating and air control and I think that’s the way you should go,” said Harvey. “We have some students who have health issues. Let’s face it, in this day and age there aren’t many places you go and sit and work all day without air where you can get the best out of the kids. It’s getting tougher and tougher. It’s time to get these buildings upgraded and set up the way they should be.”
Harvey pointed out windows were another necessary repair, noting large gaps between the windowpane and the brick building allows for snow and other elements to blow into classrooms.
“We caulk and fix them, but we’re just patching,” he said. “Those are single pane windows – I don’t know too many houses that still have original single-pane windows from 1948. It’s hard, we can’t heat, and it’s very hard to control elements.”
There are numerous funding options for Shelby City Schools’ building renovations. Harvey explained the district could leverage its permanent improvement funds, use project funds coming back from the high school project, or utilize state funds. However, Harvey pointed out using state funds may come with strings attached.
“If you take state funds, that’s all-encompassing,” he said. “You would be required to do all aspects of a state-funded project such as furniture, technology, an elevator, sprinkler systems… there is so much they add to it that you have to consider. If we renovate on our own, it just depends on how much renovation we do.”
To utilize state funds, Shelby City Schools would need to go through the state’s building/enrollment assessment process to determine the state’s involvement levels. The most recent assessment was in 2008 for the current Shelby Middle School, where the state estimated a $17,470,750 renovation cost. Auburn and Dowds Elementary were estimated at $3,624,235 and $2,925,972 respectively. All three schools were over the 67 percent threshold of cost to renovate versus building a new building.
To build a new building, Harvey estimated an elementary building housing 750 students kindergarten through fourth grade (currently Shelby has 754 elementary students) would cost $19,320,000. With the state harboring 50 percent of the cost, Shelby City Schools would be required to pay $9,660,000 for a new elementary school building.
Another funding option Harvey outlined was the use of House Bill 264, an energy savings project option backed by the state that would allow Shelby City Schools to do lighting upgrades along with some water conservation for an estimated $320,000 to $360,000 with a 15-year payback. Shelby would be projected to receive anywhere from $100,000 to $140,000 extra for capitol improvements included in at payback.
On top of building renovations, Harvey also noted the need to repair the bleachers at Skiles Field. Currently the project cost is an estimated $89,600 just to repair aisles, sealing and end capping – Harvey is waiting on a report to determine the structural soundness of the concrete bleachers, built in 1958.
Comments were minimal from members of the board of education after Harvey’s extensive report, but immediate action was not needed.
“I just wanted to bring this to your attention because we need to start thinking about it,” said Harvey. “We need to start doing something for these buildings, and we need to figure out how and what.”
