More details on Walton School readiness

Published in the August 29, 2018 edition

By MARK SARDELLA

WAKEFIELD – More details were available last night on the expected readiness of the Walton Elementary School when classes resume on Sept. 6. The school has been undergoing a substantial renovation/addition project over the summer.

School officials said last week that they were confident that the building would be ready for the first day of school, and nothing was said at last night’s School Committee meeting that would tend to cast doubt on that expectation. Some finish work will have to be completed after the school year begins, but it is not expected to disrupt school operations.

Pressed by School Committee members, School Superintendent Doug Lyons said that in the event that the building is not ready for occupancy on Sept. 6, they would have to alter the schedule and possibly push the start of school to the following Monday. But Lyons stressed that he does not anticipate a need to go to “Plan B.”

Lyons asked Lynn Stapleton of project management company LEFTFIELD to attend last night’s meeting and provide an update. Stapleton is the “owner’s project manager,” keeping track of the construction project on behalf of the town. She served in a similar capacity for the Galvin Middle School construction project.

Stapleton said that the project was coming down to the wire, with “substantial completion” expected by the end of this week.

She said that Building Inspector Jack Roberto and Fire Chief Michael Sullivan will conduct their inspections next Tuesday, Sept. 4. She said that she expects that the building will receive an occupancy permit at that time. Once the occupancy permit is granted, teachers will be able to get in, unpack boxes and set up their classrooms.

Stapleton said that the majority of the exterior work has been completed and all physical spaces within the old portion of the building are in place, with finishing and detail work going on this week.

All of the existing furniture that was moved out prior to construction is now back, along with new furniture that was ordered, and all furniture is in the appropriate classrooms and spaces, ready to be set up. Stapleton said that all teachers’ boxes containing classroom supplies that were boxed up at the end of June are now back in the classrooms, ready to be unpacked.

She said that there will be loose ends that will have to be completed after school starts but it is work that can be done after the regular school day.

Stapleton said that major construction equipment will be moved off the site this week. She added that tools and construction materials will also be moved out of the school this week and the interior will get a thorough cleaning this weekend.

In terms of the interior renovation of the old school, Stapleton noted that they were able to provide about 30 percent more than was originally anticipated.

School Committee member Anne-Marie Fortier asked about the status of the kitchen. Stapleton said that it was being finished this week and she expected that the kitchen would be completed by the start of school. She stressed that it is a warming kitchen, and meals would not be prepared on site.

Lyons said that if the kitchen is not fully operational by next week, cold lunches would be provided in the interim. Stapleton added that the gymnasium/cafetorium floor was completed this week and they hope to have the lines painted on it by the end of the week. The tables are ready to go in, so there will be a place for students to eat.

School Committee member Greg Liakos asked about technology upgrades.

Stapleton said that wireless access points have been installed throughout the school and final connections are currently being done.

Liakos also asked Stapleton about neighborhood disruption during the summer-long construction.

Stapleton acknowledged that the neighbors “have been patient and have endured a lot. We have tried to be considerate of neighbors and have tried to remedy complaints immediately,” Stapleton said, while admitting that there have been some issues.

“I think we’ve done as good a job as we could do given the congestion of the site,” she said.

Stapleton also admitted that the chiller for the air conditioning system was larger than anyone anticipated, and since it will sit outside of the building there was some neighborhood concern about the size and potential noise from the unit. Stapleton said that sound absorbing screening will be installed around the unit as well as evergreens outside of the fencing as visual screening. She noted that the chiller was tested on site and proved to be relatively quiet, so she expected that the mitigation efforts will suffice.

Lyons stressed that any time an old building is renovated, adjustments must be made for unexpected developments. But he reiterated that right now, the plan is to start school on time.

He added that all teachers will have helpers to assist them in unpacking boxes and setting up their classrooms. Cleaning staff will be on hand to help clean up after unpacking and get trash and boxes out quickly.

School Committee member Christopher Callanan was also optimistic about an on-time start at the Walton. He noted that the Building Inspector has been to the site as recently as yesterday, so it should be clear to everyone what needs to be completed by Tuesday in order to get an occupancy permit.

Stapleton noted that the Building Inspector and Fire Chief will be looking at things like safety, bathroom availability and other basic essentials needed to open a school. All of those things are completed or on target, she said.

The Walton project emerged out of longstanding concerns over space needs at the school and a desire for neighborhood children to be able to attend kindergarten at the Walton rather than being bused to other schools.

In May 2017, Annual Town Meeting appropriated $5.7 million for the Walton project.

The project included demolition of the modular classrooms previously on the site and replacing them with a pre-engineered metal building that is structurally separated from the existing building. This addition will create a new gymnasium/cafeteria, kitchen, art classroom and bathrooms along with storage space.

Also included in the project were renovations to the existing building, including reconfiguring existing spaces and upgrades to mechanical, electrical, fire protection and plumbing systems.

“It was a great team effort to get where we are today,” Stapleton said. “We’re not over the finish line, but we’ll get there.”