Thank you to all the volunteers who helped us move, move, and move again, lifted stuff, painted, cleaned, organized, decorated, and all the other tasks that needed to be done the month we were out of the lowest level. The newly re-done classrooms look wonderful!
We still need your financial support. Costs to remove the old radiators, fix the ceilings and floors, and redecorate the rooms in order for a timely return of our students is exceeding $55,000. A special challenge grant has been established by an anonymous donor who will match, dollar for dollar any donations March 30 through April 15 up to $10,000. Please contact Patty Hampson, Financial Administrator in the parish office to contribute. Remember, your contributions are tax-deductible! Thank You for supporting YOUR parish school!
A Special Video Message to the community from Father Paul Jarvis
Letter sent to the community from School Principal, Nancy Ronhovde
Letter sent to the community from Father Paul Jarvis
FAQ sheet about the radiators/heating system at Guardian Angels
Wells Fargo Employee Matching Grant Program
Contribute to the GA School Emergency Repairs Fund
Week 4 Updates:
3/11/2008 The Home Stretch!
Work is wrapping up this week in anticipation of a move-back starting on Thursday, March 13 and classes resuming in the lower level on Monday, March 17.
Painting is complete in preschool and Mrs. Miller's Kindergarten room. Floor was sealed and completed in Mrs. Miller's Kindergarten room on Monday night. Floors to be stripped and waxed later this week in Mrs. Ward's Kindergarten room. Due to flooring quality problems discovered during the stripping of the floor in the preschool room, we have determined that it will be necessary to replace the floor in preschool with the same VCT tile floor that was installed in both Kindergarten rooms. This work will start on Tuesday, March 11 and will conclude on Wed., March 12.
As of Tuesday morning, March 11, lights had been installed in the Nurses Office, Teacher Work Room, Mr. Epperly's Health Classroom and Mrs. Miller's Kindergarten Room. Lights will continue being installed Tuesday and Wednesday (if necessary). Work will resume on Tuesday in Mrs. Scott's room, Pre-School and Mrs. Ward's Kindergarten Room as well as in Mrs. Scott's Office.
Thank you to all the volunteers who have stepped in to help us meet our deadline of getting our students back into their building! There is still a lot to do, so please consider coming to the school this week to lend a hand!
Week 3 Updates:
3/3/2008:
Work is proceeding quickly. Considerable damage had to be made to the original ceilings in order to remove the radiators and then put in the recommended extra supports for the remaining steam pipes. This then created the need to reroute fire sprinkler lines and sprinkler heads and install new lighting that is compatible with the suspended ceiling system.
Several people have inquired as to the overall costs to make the repairs. Here is our outline:
- Estimated cost of Engineering firm to evaluate area and make recommendations: $3,500
- Remove and dispose of old radiators, patch steam lines where old radiators had been: $10,000
- Additional supports for remaining steam lines (as recommended by engineer): $5,000
- Install suspended (drop) ceilings in all rooms where extensive damage was made to ceiling in doing #2 and #3 above: $15,000
- Re-route sprinkler piping to accommodate newly installed suspended ceilings: $8,000
- Remove old carpet and install/seal and coat new VCT tile flooring in Miller Kindergarten Room: $4,500
- Parts and labor to install new lighting in drop ceilings: $7,500
- Paint/Misc. Hardware: $1,500
The end result in this investment in our school will be a lower level that is considerably better than it was before the work. Visual impact, temperature, lighting and acoustics will improve dramatically in all rooms in the lower level.
What we are not including in the lower level remodeling at this time is the possibility that we may need to add hot water heating radiators to the lower level now that we have removed the radiators and covered the pipes that we had hoped to use for heating that level. However, there are ways to inexpensively bring that head down into the classrooms and we hope to explore these options first.
Week 2 Updates:
2/26/2008
Mrs. Miller's Kindergarten classroom flooring installed. Base cove along the bottoms of the walls in Mrs. Ward's Kindergarten room and Preschool room also replaced. Additional pipe supports added per engineer recommendations in Kindergarten rooms, Ms. Scott's classroom, Preschool Room. This week the remaining rooms will receive additional pipe supports (including Nurse's office, Workroom, Maintenance Office, Health Classroom and Lower Floor Hallway). Drop Ceiling Grids have been installed in Preschool, Nurse's Office, Workroom, and Mrs. Ward's Kindergarten room. Drop ceilings will also be installed in Mrs. Scott's classroom, Mrs. Miller's Kindergarten room, and Health classroom. Fire Sprinklers will be retrofitted to accommodate the new lower drop ceilings.
Miller Kindergarten Room Flooring Installation/New Additional Pipe Supports
Contractor installing additional pipe supports/Preschool Classroom with Drop Ceiling Grid in place.
Completed Miller Kindergarten Room VCT Tile Floor
1 Week Post Accident Update (2/21/2008):
14 overhead radiators have been removed from the lower level of the school. The Kindergarten classrooms as well as the preschool room have been cleared of all furnishings in anticipation of visual repairs to the ceiling tiles/areas that are a different color than the surrounding tiles/tin ceiling areas. Both kindergarten classrooms will also be repainted and Ms. Miller's classroom will receive new flooring to repair the area under the fallen radiator and to address issues with the carpeting in that room. Mrs. Ward's Kindergarten floor and the Preschool floors will receive a long-lasting polyurethane refinishing this weekend.
Mrs. Ward's Classroom and Preschool Rooms ready for floor refinishing. Kindergarten room will also receive new paint on walls and ceiling.
Mrs. Miller's Classroom ready for repainting and flooring work. Picture of capped radiator line.
Radiator removed from Mrs. Scott's classroom. Picture of ceiling after radiators have been removed.
Nurse's Office Radiator before removal and after removal. Notice that the pipes will need to be repainted as they had never been exposed before now. Dark areas are color of the pipes that have never been painted!
