Caledonia Argus

Move to ìnewî school complete

Posted: 3/11/03

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

School resumed for Caledonia Elementary students Monday after a four-day hiatus, in which the school moved from 311 West Main Street to the newly renovated former high school one door down.

Staff and volunteers made the move proceed as smoothly as possible, said Caledonia Elementary Principal Connie Hesse. Furniture from all 32 classrooms was transported to the new venue on Thursday, and remaining items were moved Friday and over the weekend.

Monday morning saw students scampering about the halls, surveying their new academic terra before classes got underway. The erstwhile stomping ground of Caledonia high schoolers had become their domain, they realized, and wide-eyed they gazed upon the scintillating new stainless steel kitchen equipment, tromped down the labyrinthine hallways, and breathed in the temperature-regulated, asbestos-free air.

A veritable palace for the future pundits, prefects, and polymaths of American academe, it is, and while the young scholars pursue their intellectual betterment, they do so in an environment designed to maximize safety and minimize risk of harm. The renovation completed in late February by Kraus-Anderson Construction imbued the building with state-of-the-art safety features, albeit mostly hidden from the naked eye.

Health, fire, plumbing, and electrical inspections proved the buildingís design to be beyond reproach, and project superintendent Ken Cote' of Kraus-Anderson Construction stated that the school meets or exceeds all existing building codes.

The fire alarm system is such that, when a general fire alarm goes off, the buildingís air handlers shut down so no oxygen is fed in. Sprinklers were added to the entire buildingñ including the gym, storage rooms, and underneath the stageñ and fires doors were installed, which close automatically when an alarm goes off. If one of the systemís smoke detectors for some reason becomes defectiveñ by getting clogged with dust, for instanceñ a sensor relays this information to a general control panel and instructs maintenance workers wherein lies the problem.

Old circuit breakers were removed and new ones installed when it was discovered electrical fixtures were going out but not tripping the breakers. All electrical fixtures were replaced, and the cloth insulation wiring put in place in 1962, now considered a fire hazard, was removed and was replaced with up-to-date material.

The kitchen was brought up to health code standards and a new serving line was installed. New fire protection equipment was also put in placeñ whereas sprinklers were the only measure to combat, say, a grease fire, the new system includes sprinklers as well as an automated feature whereby, should a fire break out, the gas will shut down and a fire-suppressing chemical gets pulled through the ducts.

Asbestos abatement has been completed, and though some asbestos remains in the upstairs floor tiles and in adhesive used to hold chalkboards to the walls, these do not pose a health threat, assured project superintendent Cote'. Asbestos that did pose a health threatñ as insulation around pipesñ was removed.

The problem of standing water in tunnels beneath the school that construction crews noticed in the course of the retrofit was resolved by means of increased ventilation, regrading the soil on the north side of the building, and installing tiling to prevent seepage.

The northwest doorway, damaged in a November 24 incident in which a drunk driver rammed into the doors, were replaced along with floor tiles destroyed in the accident, at a cost of roughly $17,000, the lionís share of which was covered by insurance.

Since construction meshed well with allotted funding, workers were able to complete many maintenance items that werenít necessarily slated for installment until a later date. New exhaust fans were put in, and cabinet heaters were given new belts in motors.

The building has a one-year warranty, meaning that any parts, materials, and labor needed to either modify or correct any of the construction is covered under warranty. Though Coteís last day at the site was March 7, Kraus-Anderson has promised to maintain ongoing communication with school district officials in case of any unforeseen complications.

As is always the case, milk will be spilled, hair will be mussed, noses will be picked. But beyond the minor pratfalls typical of elementary school happenstance, health and safety measures built into the buildingís design have precluded any serious concerns about studentsí well-being.

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