Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
KHS Fitness Center gets one more revision
 |
| Amy Johnson uses one of the new voting booths at Hawthorne Elementary School in Keokuk to vote today. Keokuk voters have until 8 p.m. to vote for school board members and on a Southeastern Community College tax referendum and the Keokuk School District’s revenue purpose statement referendum. By 8 a.m. today, 10 voters had cast ballots during the first hour of voting at Hawthorne. |
By Diane Vance/Gate City Staff Writer
There's a final drawing of Keokuk High School's Health and Fitness Center addition and a list of purchase orders and costs for construction. What isn't known is how much contractors are donating toward the project and when it will be complete.
“This started about three years ago because the community and school district knew we wanted to provide a better facility for physical education curriculum and a bigger space for athletes to lift weights,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Lora Wolff Monday at the regular school board meeting.
“Then the district received the P.E. grant, enabling us to buy new equipment for the Fitness Center. As the plan came together, needs changed. A committee of volunteers, construction representatives and administrators met last week and approved a slight redesign of the interior.”
The outer footprint of the building remains the same, at just under 6,000 square feet. A classroom for health instruction has been eliminated, which also eliminates a proposed mezzanine for storage above the classroom. The previously planned classroom space will be used for aerobics equipment.
“This will be a better use of space for the P.E. programs,” said Wolff. “The health courses will be taught in a different part of the high school building.
“We needed more space for the new aerobics equipment. We've redesigned the structure to better meet the needs. We'll still have the weight room and we've added restrooms.”
Fire codes require a certain width of corridors for evacuation. The corridor leading people out of Wright Fieldhouse through the new addition, which is being built attached to the fieldhouse, will have a higher ceiling. There is a possibility of space above the corridor for storage or even an office in the future. No structure is planned there for now.
On Monday, school district maintenance supervisor Jim Kavanagh told board members all the footings are poured and all walls except the west wall are poured.
“Next comes the plumbing rough-in, electrical work and concrete block,” said Kavanagh. “We are waiting on the rain to stop. Steel is still being delivered on Sept. 15.”
He reported a list of purchase orders written to date:
Concrete footings, $55,400.
Pilings, $36,000 (50 pilings were dug and compacted to anchor the building in expanding clay mixed in soil. The other option, according to the architect, was to excavate all of the dirt at the building site and truck in soil.)
Johnson Controls, $8,969.
Mechanical HVAC, $27,107.
Electrical labor, $31,540, materials $29,924.
Masonry labor, $78,062, mortar materials, $4,600, and brick/block materials, $17,449.
Insulation, $2,227.
Rebar, $2,060.
Building steel, $89,438.
Labor to erect steel, $59,387.
Equipment rental, $6,800.
Doors, $19,246.
Windows, $9,687.
Changes for additional door frames, $6,863.
The purchase orders above add up to $484,759.
“The Fitness Center will be red brick and have a steel roof, matching the contours of the fieldhouse,” said Kavanagh.
Board member Bruce Dunek noted the aerobics room will be less expensive to construct than the previously planned classroom because the mezzanine is eliminated and much less plumbing is needed.
“Initially this was a new track surface and weight room project estimated to cost $300,000,” said board member Tyler McGhghy. “How did it get this expensive? How many revisions to the plan will we see? Why has storage been eliminated?”
Kavanagh said there has been a 30 to 40 percent increase in labor and materials since the project started. The proposed mezzanine storage area would have only been accessed from the fieldhouse by ladder, he added.
“That's not very useful storage,” he said.
Kavanagh, Wolff, Dunek, who serves on the project's committee, and district business manager Greg Reynolds said Monday's presentation is the final building revision.
Reynolds outlined the money coming in and going out of the project funds.
A community fund-raising drive since 2005 has contributed a total of $176,929 when counting the pledged 2009 amount of $10,000 to be collected. The board has authorized $575,000 to the project, including $200,000 to come out of this fiscal year's budget, adding up to a combination of $751,929 committed.
The new track surface at Calvert Stadium used $112,491, leaving $639,439 in the project fund for the Fitness Center construction.
Reynolds has itemized estimated costs for building the Fitness Center at $849,056, leaving the project short by $209,618.
“This is without considering any contractors' donations,” said Reynolds. “This cost estimate of $850,000 is considering if we had to pay for everything.”
Local contractors have said they would donate some time, equipment, labor, etc., to the project. The value of the donations has not been specified.
Kavanagh said district maintenance workers can install the ceilings, floors, paint walls and complete the final plumbing installation. Other work has to be completed by contractors.
“So we need to still find $209,618,” said Dunek.
He and Reynolds figured the cost of the Fitness Center at about $144 per square foot.
“What we get for that is a transformation of the old P.E. program to a modern P.E. program,” said board President Dr. Bill Davis. “We get a transformation of the athletic training program. The concept of the additional room has grown over time. I wasn't on the board when it started. I think there is a true value here. It seems reasonable.”
Board member Julia Logan said it would be a bonus if the aerobics rooms could be open after school for students who are not athletes but want to exercise.
“That will depend on finding a cost-effective way to supervise it,” said Wolff.
Kavanagh, pressed for a completion date, said if weather cooperates and maintenance staff can dedicate time to the Fitness Center, the goal is to have the weight room by mid-November.
“This started about three years ago because the community and school district knew we wanted to provide a better facility for physical education curriculum and a bigger space for athletes to lift weights,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Lora Wolff Monday at the regular school board meeting.
“Then the district received the P.E. grant, enabling us to buy new equipment for the Fitness Center. As the plan came together, needs changed. A committee of volunteers, construction representatives and administrators met last week and approved a slight redesign of the interior.”
The outer footprint of the building remains the same, at just under 6,000 square feet. A classroom for health instruction has been eliminated, which also eliminates a proposed mezzanine for storage above the classroom. The previously planned classroom space will be used for aerobics equipment.
“This will be a better use of space for the P.E. programs,” said Wolff. “The health courses will be taught in a different part of the high school building.
“We needed more space for the new aerobics equipment. We've redesigned the structure to better meet the needs. We'll still have the weight room and we've added restrooms.”
ADVERTISEMENT |
On Monday, school district maintenance supervisor Jim Kavanagh told board members all the footings are poured and all walls except the west wall are poured.
“Next comes the plumbing rough-in, electrical work and concrete block,” said Kavanagh. “We are waiting on the rain to stop. Steel is still being delivered on Sept. 15.”
He reported a list of purchase orders written to date:
Concrete footings, $55,400.
Pilings, $36,000 (50 pilings were dug and compacted to anchor the building in expanding clay mixed in soil. The other option, according to the architect, was to excavate all of the dirt at the building site and truck in soil.)
Johnson Controls, $8,969.
Mechanical HVAC, $27,107.
Electrical labor, $31,540, materials $29,924.
Masonry labor, $78,062, mortar materials, $4,600, and brick/block materials, $17,449.
Insulation, $2,227.
Rebar, $2,060.
Building steel, $89,438.
Labor to erect steel, $59,387.
Equipment rental, $6,800.
Doors, $19,246.
Windows, $9,687.
Changes for additional door frames, $6,863.
The purchase orders above add up to $484,759.
“The Fitness Center will be red brick and have a steel roof, matching the contours of the fieldhouse,” said Kavanagh.
Board member Bruce Dunek noted the aerobics room will be less expensive to construct than the previously planned classroom because the mezzanine is eliminated and much less plumbing is needed.
“Initially this was a new track surface and weight room project estimated to cost $300,000,” said board member Tyler McGhghy. “How did it get this expensive? How many revisions to the plan will we see? Why has storage been eliminated?”
Kavanagh said there has been a 30 to 40 percent increase in labor and materials since the project started. The proposed mezzanine storage area would have only been accessed from the fieldhouse by ladder, he added.
“That's not very useful storage,” he said.
Kavanagh, Wolff, Dunek, who serves on the project's committee, and district business manager Greg Reynolds said Monday's presentation is the final building revision.
Reynolds outlined the money coming in and going out of the project funds.
A community fund-raising drive since 2005 has contributed a total of $176,929 when counting the pledged 2009 amount of $10,000 to be collected. The board has authorized $575,000 to the project, including $200,000 to come out of this fiscal year's budget, adding up to a combination of $751,929 committed.
The new track surface at Calvert Stadium used $112,491, leaving $639,439 in the project fund for the Fitness Center construction.
Reynolds has itemized estimated costs for building the Fitness Center at $849,056, leaving the project short by $209,618.
“This is without considering any contractors' donations,” said Reynolds. “This cost estimate of $850,000 is considering if we had to pay for everything.”
Local contractors have said they would donate some time, equipment, labor, etc., to the project. The value of the donations has not been specified.
Kavanagh said district maintenance workers can install the ceilings, floors, paint walls and complete the final plumbing installation. Other work has to be completed by contractors.
“So we need to still find $209,618,” said Dunek.
He and Reynolds figured the cost of the Fitness Center at about $144 per square foot.
“What we get for that is a transformation of the old P.E. program to a modern P.E. program,” said board President Dr. Bill Davis. “We get a transformation of the athletic training program. The concept of the additional room has grown over time. I wasn't on the board when it started. I think there is a true value here. It seems reasonable.”
Board member Julia Logan said it would be a bonus if the aerobics rooms could be open after school for students who are not athletes but want to exercise.
“That will depend on finding a cost-effective way to supervise it,” said Wolff.
Kavanagh, pressed for a completion date, said if weather cooperates and maintenance staff can dedicate time to the Fitness Center, the goal is to have the weight room by mid-November.
 |
||
| Five get warnings about smoking violations |
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of dailygate.com.
ON IT wrote on Sep 12, 2008 11:37 AM:
" The whole building needs to be torn down. Maybe the focus should have been on building a new high school. "
Chiefs wrote on Sep 11, 2008 12:00 PM:
" My question is if we are putting in this state-of-the-art weightlifting room, who is going to be the state-of-the-art trainer? What good is it going to be to have all of this new stuff with the same old coaches that supervise the weight room by "just being there"? "
Concerned wrote on Sep 10, 2008 12:40 PM:
" I find it interesting that the "weight room" was also sold as a facility for weight training class and was supposed to hold the nursing classes. Now, there is no classroom. So we are paying for a glorified weight room? Ridiculous. On another topic.....We complain about how crappy our town looks and the High School has a massive garbage dumpster in the U-Drive!!! What a nice first impression when you come to our school!!! "
What happened wrote on Sep 10, 2008 11:24 AM:
" I thought one of the main purposes of this new facility was to have a classroom for the nursing classes? Is there still going to be an athletic training room? Laundry room? and all of the other proposed amenities? It appears that this is just going to be a glorified weight room and not used for the academic purposes that it was originally designed for, other than weight lifting classes. I suppose Niece changed the plans on this. "
| Please log in or create an account by filling out the form on the right. | |
Wheres Pam wrote on Sep 23, 2008 5:01 PM: