By Hailey Higgins, Local News 8 Reporter
IDAHO FALLS - Maintenance crews and construction workers at School Districts 91 and 93 have seen few days off this summer.
Idaho Falls School District 91 has been busy spending almost $1.4 million on Ravsten Stadium next to Idaho Falls High School.
"Water has been leaking through the bleachers. We've got classrooms and offices underneath the stadium and we've had some water damage as well. And this whole project has really been necessary. We are thrilled to have gotten that finished this summer," said Margaret Wimborne, District 91 Communication Specialist.
Workers are repairing the bleachers. The cement bleachers were crumbling and rebar was showing. But that is a thing of the past. Even the press and coach's boxes are new.
"Our focus has always been making sure we've got great schools for our children. They need to be in good classrooms, not having to worry about leaky roofs and that kind of thing," said Wimborne.
Many schools are getting new roofs. Roofs on District 93 buildings have heated gutters that will prevent ice from building up. Six schools have new fire alarm systems and the office at Ammon Elementary has moved to create a single point entry.
"I love the single point entry for the security. It means we can monitor the people who are on our campuses. Not only to know who is there but if we have to leave the building for an emergency, it allows us to be certain everybody is out of the building," said Guy Bliesner, District 93.
The summer time is the best time to do major repairs in the schools.
"It is generally pretty difficult if we have students in. It will interrupt the education process and we want to enhance the educational process, not interrupt. It's a little tough to run a jackhammer outside a third grader's window and expect them to stay focused," said Bliesner.
Officials with both districts said they have special money set aside which can only be used for school repairs.
Specific projects at District 91 include:
Ravsten Stadium - $1.39 million - Barry Hayes Construction, LLC of Idaho Falls, is the general contractor on this project, which included repairing and waterproofing the exposed bleachers, removing and replacing damaged steps, repairing and replacing the press and coaches' boxes, replacing rails and repositioning stairs, and repairing and repainting the front of the West Stadium. Water damage to the bleachers, as well as the classrooms, officers and locker rooms below the bleaches, was also repaired.
Clair E. Gale Junior High Roof repairs -- $300,000 - Robison Roofing, of Blackfoot, repaired a leaky roof over the school's B and C halls, and installed six skylights to provide natural light and enhance the learning environment in six classrooms.
Taylor View Junior High School -- $150,000 - Smith Roofing, of Rigby, is replacing part of the leaky roof over the A & B halls. Repairs are also being made to the school's heating system.
Edgemont Elementary School - $30,000 - A portable classroom no longer being used at Hawthorne Elementary School was moved to Edgemont Elementary School to accommodate the school's growing student body.
Nutrition Services - Using $28,000 in stimulus money, a new freezer/cooler was installed at Clair E. Gale Junior High School to replace an older freezer. In addition, the district bought three new ovens to replace the aging stoves at Taylorview, Bush and Fox Hollow, where more than 2,600 meals are prepared each day. The district was one of only two districts in eastern Idaho that received stimulus money for these kinds of projects.
Sunnyside Elementary School -- $23,000 - Robison Roofing, of Blackfoot, is replacing and repairing part of the roof over the gymnasium/cafeteria, which was damaged by the spring hail and rain storms.
Clair E. Gale Junior High School AC repairs - $25,000 - Crews will replace a condenser, a key component in the school's air conditioning unit in B hall.
Westside Elementary School - $22,000 - Omni Security will replace the key locks with key cards, which will improve security at the school by eliminating the problems and access issues that come from lost keys. With a keyless system, key cards can be easily inactivated and deleted from the system, and the school can monitor who is coming in and going and monitor whether doors are locks and easily do a lock down.
At other elementary schools, including Sunnyside, Fox Hollow, Linden Park and Temple View, door locks have been replaced with button locks that can be secured from within the classroom. Currently, in case of an emergency or an intruder, teachers have to leave the classroom to lock the door from the outside.
