Greetings Foothill Families,
Many of you have already been up at school for Fall Assessments and must be wondering how the construction project is going! I am happy to report that we are right on schedule and some aspects of the project are even a little ahead. The majority of the work continued on the new wing at the east end of the building. This week we will see a roof installed as well as the brick start to take shape. The interior is mostly framed in. Inside and around the building contractors prepared gas, water, electrical and data to connect to the new wing once it is ready. The new wing is expected to be open after winter break. The construction team has also installed sprinklers and new unit ventilators in the first and second grade hallway. We are looking forward to better air flow and heat this year! Our only bump this summer was the inability to keep water on the grass which resulted in new sod on the playing fields. We are excited to have new grass; however it will not be available for traffic (aka recess) for a couple of weeks after school starts. Given the choice of no field for a couple of weeks or dirt for a year…we chose to re-route recess. Students will have the green and tan play structure, the blacktop with basketball hoops and 4 square for recess outside as well as indoor recess and computer lab options. We expect to be able to access the field shortly after Labor Day. As always if you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 303.443.1847 or the project manager, David Jorschumb at 303.994.3179.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow (and on Wednesday for kindergarteners in the second half of the alphabet) !
August 1, 2008
Beginning August 4, Haselden Construction will be conducting utility work in Hawthorn Avenue. The road will be reduced to one lane for the duration of the work. Notices will be given to all neighbors on Hawthorn informing them of what to expect. The utility work is scheduled to be completed by August 11, and the street will be returned to two lanes at that time.
July 2008
A lot has happened since our last up-date. If you have been by the school at all you can see that the foundations have been poured and the skeleton of the new addition is standing. This will hold our new Library, Literacy and 3rd grade classrooms. What you can't see are all the things that have happened inside the school and underground. Electrical upgrades have started and will be ongoing until the scheduled completion in July of 2009. The sprinkler system has been started as well as the heating and ventilation upgrades. These will also be ongoing for the next year. In the next month or so you will see the exterior shell of the new addition as well as the roofing and heating units on the roof. The storm sewer will be run to Two Mile Creek and the new new play pit will be roughed in with a completion scheduled for next summer.
So much has happened and we have a lot left to do. Next week we will have additional pictures on our webpage - be sure to check it out. http://bvsd.org/schools/foothill/Construction/Pages/ConstructionPictures.aspx Thank you for your continued patience and if you have any questions or concerns please contact Dave Jorschumb at 303.245.5790. The office will be open again on August 5th. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
May 12, 2008
This afternoon we will have a large concrete pump truck on site to pour the footings for the new wing. Over the next few weeks we expect to have quite a bit of concrete coming in as they lay the foundation. I am sure that our students will find the truck interesting. Please know we will be taking the standard safety measures to keep them at least 5 feet away from the fence. We do not expect any disruption in traffic other than when the truck arrives and leaves. Those who live near the construction site or are on campus will hear the added noise of the pump truck. As always, please call us at 303-443-1847 if you have any questions.
Construction Overview for April
Equipment has been staged onsite and fencing has been installed around the construction area. Excavation and foundation work for the addition will continue through April. Deliveries are expected throughout the day, however, not during drop off and pick up times.
What you need to know
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Parking |
Contractors will park inside the fenced area and away from the school as much as possible. However, as more contractors begin to work on site, parking will become less available. |
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Pick up/Drop off |
Pick up and drop off will continue on the south and west sides of the building. Consider meeting older students west of the building. Boulder Police will enforce the no parking in the pick up and drop off zone in front of the fence on Hawthorn Ave. |
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Traffic |
No disruptions expected. |
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Bike and pedestrian access |
Will remain open, please be aware of the additional traffic. |
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Deliveries |
Concrete delivery is expected during the next 2 weeks. |
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Utility disruption |
Utility work will take place during the next few weeks, however utilities remain live and no disruptions are expected. |
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Noise |
Heavy equipment, backing alarms. Work is not expected on the weekends. Boulder City noise ordinances does allow work to be completed from 7am to 11pm. Although crews are not expected to work until 11pm, back up alarms will be heard throughout the day. Noise and vibration can be felt from the digging and compacting work that is taking place. |
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Smells |
None expected. |
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Evacuation routes |
New evacuation routes are in place and have been practiced. These will be in effect until Phase II starts in January, 2009. |
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Daily routine/internal traffic patterns (lunch, recess, etc.) |
No changes expected.
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Safety |
We have communicated our concerns about the recent indecent exposure reports to the construction team. They will support us in watching for any suspicious people on or near the school grounds and will notify the proper authorities should they see anyone. |
Bond Construction Update 3-21-08
Please note the following safety considerations for Foothill students as our construction begins. You will also find a map and information on the reverse side of this page.
Children will be using different routes in and around school to get to lunch, and playground to ensure safety.
- Please consider using West Hawthorne Avenue past 9th street or on 9th Street as a drop off area for your older children during construction.
- Students can still be dropped off in the drop off zone, but his is not an ideal location during construction.
- Students, who normally walk around the East side of the building to meet parents or friends, or get to class, need to walk around the West side.
- Please note the FENCED CONSTRUCION AREA on the map on the back of this page. There will be NO access to the playground or fields from the front of the building during phase one.
- We will continue to provide families with updates as our Bond project progress.
The following information was presented to students today at the construction presentation prior to ground breaking. Please help us by reviewing this information regularly with your child(ren).
General Information
- Fencing will placed around the project to keep the work in and the students out.
- We will not be able to go to the playground or field from the front of the school, only through the building or around the back by 5th grade.
- We have new plans for:
- Where to line up before school
- How to get to and from recess & lunch
- How to get back to your class after lunch
- Where to exit after school
Safety Reminders
- Do not play near the construction or fences. Keep 5-10 feet away from the fence.
- Do not throw balls in the direction of the construction
- If a ball goes over the fence, do not ask a worker to get the ball. The workers, Project Manager, or custodians will get it later in the day.
- Do not talk to the workers, they have a job to get done!
- If you see anything that does not look safe, tell the recess teacher, your classroom teacher or Ms. Zahn.
Bond Construction Update – 03/14/08
We will soon kick off construction for improvements provided under the 2006 Bond Program, and I wanted to take a moment to let you and our students know what to expect in the coming months.
The generosity of Boulder Valley voters has provided us with a $9.5 million project that includes a 15,000-square foot addition which will include a new IMC, four new classrooms and literacy spaces. The project also includes renovations to the cafeteria, Kindergarten classrooms and administrative offices. Other bond work at the school will include IT infrastructure upgrades, playground improvements, upgrades to mechanical and electrical systems, restroom renovations and interior finishes improvements. A detailed description of the work to be done can be found on the Foothill page of the BVSD Bond website at http://bvsd.org/C14/2006%20Bond%20Project/School%20Pages/Foothill%20Elementary%20School.pdf.
Our project will begin this month and is anticipated to be complete in July 2009. The project has been planned to try to minimize disruption to students. The first phase of the project will take place from April – December this year and will be construction of the new addition off the southeast side of the building. This work is essentially isolated from the main building and every effort will be made not to interfere with student activities. Over winter break, the IMC will be moved into its new location in the new wing. The second phase of the project will take place from January – August 2009. This phase includes the demolition and reconstruction of cafeteria, administration and Kindergarten spaces. During this phase, Kindergarten classrooms will be temporarily moved into classrooms in the new wing. The cafeteria will be relocated to the old IMC and administration will be moved to a classroom. Most of the building wide improvements such as mechanical and electrical upgrades will be done in the summer when the building is unoccupied. When students return to school in August 2009, the cafeteria, Kindergarten and administration will all be moved back into their permanent spaces.
We are committed to communicating with you regularly during construction. I will be meeting weekly with the construction company and the project manger. I will update you as necessary about how construction activities will affect you and your student in the upcoming weeks. We also encourage you to visit the Boulder Valley School District website at www.bvsd.org for project details and up-to-date information on the entire Bond as well as what’s happening at Foothill. Click on the hard hat in the upper left hand corner of the district home page and then follow the “What’s Happening at Schools” link.
Safety and security for students and staff during construction is our top priority. Our message to students is, “Stay away and stay safe.” Faculty and staff will work to convey this to students. You can help by reinforcing this message at home. Prior to construction, our staff received safety training from the district’s Bond Safety Manager. The construction areas will be separated from the rest of the school by fences and/or construction walls that are clearly marked with warning signs. Workers will have separate foot traffic entrances/exits for the construction area. There will be no reason for faculty or students to interact with the workers. All workers who have completed a BVSD safety orientation and are authorized to be on site will have numbered project stickers on their hard hats.
You may already be aware, given the era in which our building was originally constructed; asbestos is present in certain areas. The district is currently investigating the extent to which asbestos is present of the building that will be renovated. Before construction can begin in these areas, these materials need to be removed. Any necessary asbestos abatement work will be done on evenings and weekends when the building is not occupied. All work will be conducted by qualified personnel according to EPA regulations.
If you have any questions regarding the Bond work, please contact the Project Manager, Dave Jorschumb at 303/245-5790, david.jorschumb@bvsd.org or Bond Support Coordinator, Melinda Moquin-Gomez at 303/447-5109, Melinda.moquin-gomez@bvsd.org.
Thank you for your continued support of Foothill Elementary School. We hope you share our excitement for the great changes happening at our school.