As projects included in the Columbus Municipal School Districts capital improvement plan are wrapping up, the district is focusing more on maintenance, including moisture issues at the high school’s fieldhouse.
“For the most part, everything on the plan that was initially started was completed,” Craig Chapman, CMSD assistant superintendent of operations and support services, said. “That’s why a lot of focus has been moved to some other areas.”
CMSD’s capital improvement plan, approved in 2019, included repairing multiple parking lots, landscaping efforts and corrections to infrastructural issues, as well as other projects throughout the district. The plan was intended to represent a continuous effort to assess the needs of buildings and ensure facilities are maintained, according to Board President Telisa Young.
“All of these projects have been funded with district funds which have been earmarked to take on immediate, moderate and future projects,” Young told The Dispatch in an email.
Athletic complex moisture issues
One project currently being prioritized is general maintenance at the athletic complex at Columbus High School. CMSD Superintendent Stanley Ellis said that the facilities are structurally sound, but over time repairs must be done.
Young said certain areas in the fieldhouse were identified as needing further examination and possible testing, “due to the nature of their use by athletes and all that entails.”
“We brought in a company who examined those areas that appeared to come into contact with a great deal of moisture, dirt and normal environmental elements brought in from outside to make sure we had no problems before moving forward with maintenance and repair,” Young said. “The report showed minimal elevations for a couple of items and those areas are being thoroughly cleaned before use.”
Given the report, members spent time during the Dec. 11 regular board meeting discussing whether or not the HVAC systems in the fieldhouse worked properly during the district maintenance report from Maintenance Director Stephen Little. Young said the board wanted to ensure the systems were not contributing factors to any moisture in the building.
Ellis told The Dispatch that the systems were properly working.
Hunt campus update
Restoration efforts at the Hunt campus have been underway since the summer. The building was essentially destroyed by an EF-3 tornado in February 2019 and has since been entirely gutted. Ellis said repairs at the Hunt campus are expected to be completed by December 2024 provided supply chain delays can be avoided.
Young toured the campus in early November, meeting with the superintendent of the project to ask questions and relay progress back to the board.
“We are currently awaiting a time frame for windows and electrical work,” Young said. “Progress is being made, and the board is hopeful of meeting the timeline for the building to be complete.
Some general maintenance projects were discussed at the CMSD Board of Trustees regular meeting on Monday night.
Ongoing updates
Ellis said he and the board have looked at facilities across the district and are aware some buildings are in need of repair.
“We are seriously considering doing some things to improve the quality of the buildings so that they are a lot more conducive to student learning and staff professional growth in the future,” he said.
This week, the board of trustees is expected to vote to approve one of two architectural firms to conduct a district-wide facilities feasibility study. The study will include findings, recommendations to update facilities to current standards and probable costs for updates.
“We’re doing the work, and we’re focusing on the real deal,” Ellis said. “And at the end of the day, the real deal is teaching and learning, so we are always going to be student centered and excellence driven.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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