The Knox School Board has approved the list of contractors working on the school corporation’s facility improvement project. During Tuesday’s meeting, Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart presented a list of projects totaling about $4.5 million.
At the heart of that is the replacement of the high school roof for just over $1.1 million, as well as the heating and cooling units that sit on top of the roof for almost $2.2 million. Both of those items will be overseen by EMCOR Construction Services, which is working as a guaranteed energy savings provider.
EMCOR representative Ron Cassidy told board members that CMS Roofing has been hired to install the new roof. Reichhart explained that the first step is to remove the stone that’s holding down the existing roof. “There’s probably, they estimate, 300 ton of stone on that roof,” Reichhart said, “and we’ve been working on who would like to have that stone because it will not be used on the new roof and calling around, if anybody needs stone, let us know. We’ll try and accommodate you, but the County Highway Department said they would take all of it that nobody else wanted.”
Meanwhile, the 17 roof-mounted heating and cooling units will be replaced with new ones that will meet the latest refrigeration codes. Reichhart expects the upgrade to earn the school corporation a $12,000 energy rebate from NIPSCO.
While the work takes place over the summer, Knox High School will largely be out of service. Principal Dr. Elizabeth Ratliff said summer school has been canceled for the year, but plans are in place to make sure students get the help they need next year.
Reichhart also updated board members on the other items on the project list, including LED lighting, asphalt work, and a new telephone system, among many others. “We’re going to be filling in the pit at the high school,” he said, “so when you walk in, we don’t have to worry about people falling into the pit area and breaking an ankle. That will be gone.”
He added that Knox High School is due for some work, citing dirty-looking ceilings, along with other issues. “We just have to realize that our high school is built in the mid-‘70s, and we sit in this room and we think, ‘Well, that’s not that old,’ but when you start figuring up, we’re in 2018. That does show some age to it, so it’s time to put some money into this.”
A $5 million bond issue will cover the cost of the project. Reichhart said that money has been received.
