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News
Drop plan to convert East View resource center : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisDrop plan to convert East View resource center
| Changes by board reduce cost to renovation project for elementary school
| by Lyle R. Rolfe
| 1/21/2010
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A recommendation to convert the learning resource center (LRC) at East View Elementary into two classrooms and a study area has been dropped.
The conversion was included in proposed plans for remodeling of the school, which was closed at the end of last year. The plans also included taking other classrooms and making them into a new LRC,
The school, at 4209 Route 71 in Oswego, is the district's second-oldest building. It was originally to be temporarily closed for life safety improvements with several new uses being proposed. But, when officials began looking at enrollment projections, they decided it would have to be used again as an elementary school.
At the board's Dec. 14 meeting, John Graff and Dave Behrens noted that the East View plans included making the present Learning Resource Center into two classrooms and a small group space and converting other classrooms into a new LRC.
Behrens asked why it was being done.
Doug Gallois, executive director of construction services said the changes were included in plans prepared by Cathi Mundsinger, director of elementary teaching and learning.
"Didn't we just spend money to redo that library within the last five years?" Graff asked. "Why would we rip that place apart to make it into a classroom? I don't understand it. It doesn't make sense to me. It's a beautiful library. It's probably one of the nicest ones at the elementary level. All of them are nice, but that one's special," Graff said, to which Gallois agreed.
"I don't understand why we're spending good money after good money to tear it apart," Graff added.
As a result of the new plan changes, the original renovation cost has been reduced.
Gallois was prepared to present the amended plan to told members meeting as the Growth Committee Monday night, but ran out of time.
The original plans, presented to the board last May, showed an estimated total cost of $8,495,000, which was $682,000 over the $7,813,000 budget for the renovations. That figure included life safety work. The changes presented Monday by Gallois would cut the total cost to $7,475,000 which would be $338,000 less than the budgeted amount for the work.
Gallois' estimated cost as of last May included $220,000 to convert the LRC, $100,000 to reconfigure the main and nurse's office, $170,000 to convert classrooms into a new LRC and computer lab, and $90,000 to move coat racks and individual student storage areas into the hall. All of those items were eliminated in the updated estimates Gallois presented Monday night.
He also said a proposal to create areas outside the classrooms for teachers to have individual study sessions with students, has been reduced to $100,000 from $170,000. Similar areas are being included in all new school additions, he noted.
The total construction cost has been reduced to $6,465,000 from the original cost of $7,225,999, Gallois added.
Other changes recommended by Gallois were to reduce the cost for casework or woodwork renovation to $150,000 from the May estimate of $200,000, reducing the architects cost to $50,000 from $70,000, cutting technology costs to $200,000 from $300,000, reducing the cost of furniture, fixtures, related equipment and instructional materials to $100,000 from $240,000, lowering the cost of carpeting to $250,000 from $310,000, and reducing the cost of salaries and benefits for he and his staff to $200,000 from $300,000.
The district administration offices have been housed in the northwest end of East View for several years and will not be changed.
When East View was closed at the end of last year, officials planned to make a variety of changes to the building so it could be used for various educational purposes. Life-safety work was also to be done at the same time. But because of the latest enrollment increases this year--more than 700 new students--officials decided the space would be needed for elementary school use again.
Gallois said the district is not under pressure to get the project done soon, and noted that it could be done in 6-8 months once work starts.
He said it would not take long to prepare a construction plan so work could be completed in time for the 2011-12 school year.
Funds for this work would come from the $450 million general obligation bond issue approved by voters in November 2006.
When completed, Gallois said the district would have 25 additional classrooms giving them a student capacity of 600-625.
Gallois is expected to explain the plan changes at a future board meeting.
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