Hamilton school board slows down renewal strategy

Hamilton’s public school board is slowing the pace of an eight-year renewal strategy for elementary schools to catch up on projects that are behind schedule.

Senior facilities manager David Anderson said staff is also allocating just $3.75 million of an available $10 million for the 201920 school year because a builder’s market is seeing tenders come in significantly over budget.

The renewal strategy is in its third year and promises upgrades to a standard “benchmark” for gyms, learning commons, science and arts rooms, and playfields. Only schools that have survived a closure review or aren’t scheduled for one are eligible.

Gym expansions are the strategy’s most expensive component at $2.25 million to $2.5 million apiece.

Anderson said staff will use “value engineering” to reduce the scope of work where possible to come within budget.

“My intent is to deliver all of those projects within eight years and I don’t see that we won’t be able to at this point,” he told trustees on the board’s finance and facilities committee.

“I think taking not a full pause, but just pulling back a little bit and looking at it and stretching it out over that eight years, I think we’ll be fine.”

Among the eight schools scheduled for upgrades in 201920, Hamilton’s downtown Central will get the most work, with $2.425 million budgeted for a gym expansion and renovations to the visual arts room, learning commons and playing field.

Other bigger projects include $275,000 at Pauline Johnson on the central Mountain for the science and arts rooms, learning commons and playfield.

The gym there has already been expanded to the benchmark.

Ridgemount, also on the central Mountain, will get similar upgrades, budgeted at $205,000.

Associate director Stacey Zucker said staff has previously sought trustee project approval in the spring for the following year, but will now do so the preceding fall to allow more time for permits from city hall.

Some projects approved for the 2016-17 year, for instance, remain in progress, including at A.M. Cunningham and Hamilton’s Memorial, a staff chart shows.

“Sometimes when we’re approving it in March or April, by the time we get all the permits into place we aren’t able to complete the work during the summer period,” Zucker said.