School’s out for the summer, which means East Aurora School District 131 is beginning its summer renovation projects.
The upgrades coming to East Aurora range from roofing and window replacements to mechanical improvements at East Aurora High School.
The most costly of the projects is a mechanical improvement project at East Aurora High School, which is expected to come in at just under $3.6 million, according to a memo from the district’s Director of Buildings and Grounds Ashraf Kawash included in the school board’s June 2 Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting agenda.
Waldo Middle School is getting an elevator replacement, per the memo, while Bardwell Elementary is getting new flooring and Rollins Elementary is getting a fire panel replacement.
Meanwhile, roofing replacement projects are taking place at Dieterich and Johnson elementaries, and window replacements are happening at the high school and at O’Donnell Elementary, per the memo. Cowherd Middle, Waldo Middle and Krug Elementary are getting door replacements, and East Aurora High School and Gates Elementary are having tuckpointing work done. Lastly, site improvement projects are set to begin soon at Rollins Elementary, Johnson Elementary and the Gonzales Child Service Center.
The total projected cost for the projects, not including contingency allowances, comes out to just over $6 million.
Some projects were scheduled to start just after school let out for the summer on June 2, with most beginning work in early- to mid-June. The site improvement projects at Rollins and Johnson elementary schools and the Gonzales Child Service Center aren’t set to begin until July.
Students return to school on Aug. 20, per the district’s calendar for next year. According to the district, the projects are slated to be completed before then. The high school mechanical project is on track to be nearly finished before school starts, a district spokesperson told The Beacon-News, though additional adjustments could be made through October.
The high school mechanical project is taking place over three years, the district spokesperson said on Tuesday. Per a memo from the fall on the bid results for the project, this summer’s renovation, the project’s first phase, will entail equipment replacement in the freshman wing, as well as adding air conditioning in the gymnasium area.
At the school board’s Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting on June 2, East Aurora Assistant Superintendent of Operations Steven Megazzini said the district will be providing updates on the projects’ progress throughout the summer.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
