Construction at city schools picks up pace over summer

In less than 450 days, teachers, administrators and staff at several Vestavia Hills City Schools will be unpacking boxes and setting up in their new schools as the district takes on its new structure in fall 2019 — but there is a lot to be done in the meantime.

Over the next 14 months, the district will see the tangible results of nearly two years of planning, meetings and public feedback as brick meets mortar for the multiple construction projects that need to be completed before the restructuring shift can occur.

“A lot of things will have to happen in order to make this work,” Freeman said, “so we’ll spend a long time planning so that in the summer of 2019 we can begin to implement all of those moves.”

He said those driving by at least four of the district’s properties will see a lot of activity this summer, as well.

Ongoing projects

Two schools, Vestavia Hills Elementary West and Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights, have ongoing construction projects, and Freeman said those will continue over the summer as they near completion.

At West, the summer will include the new cafeteria and kitchen project seeing brick go up, as walls are completed and other major exterior work to dry-in the structure.

Brennan Bell at Hoar Program Management said rain in the spring had slowed work somewhat, but Freeman expects the project to be finished sometime in September.

While the school year can comfortably start without the new space, Freeman said the school is still excited about that project finishing up.

“We are very anxious of course to get in the new place, because it will be much larger and more modern,” he said.

Across town at VHECH, the new classroom addition, new media center and the updates to the carpool lanes are expected to be done in time for school in August.

“The classrooms are important to us because of the growth we have at Cahaba Heights,” he said. “We’re hopeful and optimistic that by the beginning of school, that one is in place.”

Freeman said that both schools are “making do” as the construction is ongoing, but hopefully the projects will be completed on or ahead of schedule so the schools can enjoy the new spaces in the fall.

Gresham

Vestavia Hills’ newest addition, Gresham Elementary School, will start seeing ground broken on a new, two-story classroom addition, Freeman said.

The addition will go behind the school where the school’s old gym is, Freeman said, and will make room for the students the school will be expected to accommodate.

According to documents presented by HPM, the budget for the classroom addition as well as some exterior cosmetic fixes is $6 million. At press time, bids were expected to be awarded on May 31 at the BOE meeting, after the purchase of the property went through the final hurdle on May 16.

Freeman said the project is expected to kick off in July and take roughly 12 months, getting the property ready for Vestavia students by the start of fall 2019.

Berry

Five driving miles away at the Berry campus, Freeman said the multiple projects needed to get the campus ready will ramp up this summer as well.

Demolition, grading and site work has already begun at the campus, but the meat of the work, costing roughly $1 million, will also begin this July.

Major projects will include a major interior renovation of the existing facilities, as well as a new band and choral arts building that will be constructed in the place of the old gym.

Other exterior projects and work on the athletic fields was also discussed at the April meeting when Bell updated the board on the progress at the campus.

The Berry campus will be the new home of the middle school for the U.S. 31 corridor and is critical for the district’s restructuring, Freeman said, as it will allow for a ninth-grade campus at what is currently Pizitz Middle School.

Planning the move

While there are still 14 months between now and the restructuring plan’s implementation, Freeman said the district is wasting no time.

“One of the things the system has been doing over the last year is planning ahead,” he said, “and I would just want to assure our parents and community that we continue that forward planning process, so that we’re ready to go and we’ve provided the very best for our students at all of our schools amidst these changes.”

Beginning this summer and continuing over the 2018-19 school year, Freeman said he and administrators will plan what will need to get done to make the move as seamless as possible.

Early planning is important, he said, because in addition to a physical move, there will be a significant personnel shift to deal with as well.

And while there is a lot of work to get done, Freeman said he isn’t worried about meeting the deadline.

“I feel very confident that by fall of 2019 we will be ready to go,” he said.

For updates on the specific construction projects going on this summer and beyond, visit vestavia.k12.al.us/facilities.