School Board Approves Contract for Facility Improvements at 10 Schools

The Springfield Public Schools Board of Directors approved a construction contract at its Monday, July 6 meeting that will allow the District to complete facility improvements at 10 schools in response to updated property insurance requirements affecting certain older facilities.

The District's property insurance provider recently updated its coverage requirements for buildings more than 50 years old that contain certain types of engineered wood trusses. Completing the planned work will help the District maintain full property insurance coverage for those buildings.

The project includes work at:

•     Centennial Elementary School
•     Guy Lee Elementary School
•     Mohawk Elementary School
•     Page Elementary School
•     Walterville Elementary School
•     Two Rivers-Dos Rios Elementary School
•     Briggs Middle School
•     Thurston Middle School
•     Brattain Campus
•     Thurston High School

"This work is about protecting our students, staff, and schools while maintaining the District's property insurance coverage for these buildings," Interim Superintendent Dr. Shawn Stover said. "Our schools remain safe places for students and staff, and this project helps ensure we continue to care for facilities that have served our students and community for generations."

The Board's action approves the construction contract with Essex General Construction for the project. The total projected budget for all sites equals $3.7 million. The Board is expected to approve a financing option at a future meeting.

The District is developing project schedules with the goal of completing as much of the work as possible when students are not in school to minimize disruption to teaching and learning. Additional information will be shared with affected school communities as project details are finalized.