Lakewood education board OKS two middle school projects

HEBRON — Earlier this week, the Lakewood Board of Education approved resolutions concerning construction projects at Jackson Intermediate School and Lakewood Middle School.

According to a press release from the district, both projects are expected to be completed prior to the 2022-23 school year.

The project at Jackson comes after continued failure of a bond issue to build a new elementary school, resulting in superintendent Dr. Mark Gleichauf decomissioning the 108-yearold Hebron Elementary and moving students and staff to Jackson over the next couple of years.

The plan, which Gleichauf proposed at the October board meeting and was approved by the board in November, would move Hebron students to Jackson Intermediate, starting with the 2023-24 school year.

The Hebron building would then be vacated.

Hebron, which is non-ada accessible, is a mixture of unwanted moisture, a labyrinth of hallways and stairs, cramped quarters and soaring temperatures. The classrooms are small, and teachers have creatively made use of the space. The cramped cafeteria presents its own set of problems, as does the kitchen.

Heavy rains last fall caused water to pour into the gymnasium, forcing the district to spend $24,000 to put a liner on top of the gym roof, which has been replaced six times in its 108 years. A ruptured water line had to be replaced.

“That was the most affordable option, and it’s temporary,” Gleichauf said at the October board meeting. “In fiscal year 2019, Hebron had $96,727 in extra expenditures, and it was $75,611 in 2020. Who knows what it will total in 2021? It has major heating and cooling issues.”

“We have attempted to pass the bond issue for a new elementary school for several

years now, but we have not gained enough community support to be successful,” Gleichauf said in the press release.

“Given this, and the ongoing challenges in the Hebron Elementary building, our Board of Education has determined the best way forward is to move all students and staff from Hebron Elementary to the Jackson Intermediate campus and decommission the Hebron building over the next couple of years.”

The Jackson resolution concerns construction of a corridor between Jackson A and the Annex, allowing students to move from building to building for bathrooms, lunch, special classes, the office and clinic safely and without being exposed to the elements, the press release said.

Starting with the 2022-23 school year, third through fifth grades will be housed in Jackson A. For the 2023-24 school year, Hebron Elementary students (grades K through second, and staff) will move into Jackson B, meaning that within two years, students in preschool through fifth grade will be together at one campus.

“By making this move, all Lakewood students would be housed on our Lancer Road

campus in buildings that meet ADA standards, have effective heating and cooling, and

have improved instructional space,” Gleichauf added.

The second resolution concerns a construction project to convert the current Lakewood

Middle School auditorium into four classroom spaces, music personnel office spaces, music practice spaces, and a single hallway.

“We’ve been looking forward to this project for a number of years. The current auditorium space is manageable, but a dedicated band/choir room will give our students

a more structured environment to learn music,” Derek Shell, middle school band director and assistant high school band director said in the press release.

“I know that the kids (as well as I) are looking forward to having a ‘real,’ climate-controlled band room,” Shell said. “The performing arts are strong at Lakewood, and this project will help us ensure that our tradition of excellence continues into the future.”

The current auditorium is rarely used as a performance auditorium. The reconstruction of the area will create a LMS band room, a LMS choir room, and the

equivalent of two other classroom spaces. There will be accordion doors between some

of these spaces, allowing larger group space for professional development, future Board

of Education Meetings, community meetings, and more.

“This has been a capital improvement project that the district has been considering for more than five years,” Gleichauf stressed. “The district has long term plans for the current middle school, so these upgrades will be utilized for the foreseeable future. Additionally, it provides some additional classroom spaces in the event the district enrollment grows due to economic development factors in the region.”

Lakewood will pay for these projects with capital outlay and capital improvement dollars.

These funds can only be used for these purposes and not general fund expenses, such as salaries.

dweidig@gannett.com