School bells, hammer and nails School bells, hammer and nails (August 27, 2004)

Construction abounds on campuses
by Teresa C. Brown

As summer break draws to a close, the Pleasanton Unified School District will begin the 2004-05 academic year next week with some schools in hard-hat zones.

Almost half a dozen schools will be in varying stages of construction when the schools open their doors Monday. The most extensive is Donlon Elementary, which is in the beginning phase of a $11.5 million modernization.

With existing buildings gutted, classrooms and administration offices are temporarily lodged in 46 portable buildings situated behind the permanent school structures.

The district expects the modernization, which is being done by Sausal Construction, to be finished by next summer, said Hugh Anton, PUSD director of Architecture Planning and Management during a facility tour held last week.

Sausal is credited for Walnut Grove Elementary's modernization project, which was finished in December 2003, and for Amador Valley High School's media center, which was completed in 2002.

In the construction interim, Donlon classes will be held in the portable rooms, which have been leased for $6,000 per building per year, said Sandra Lemmons, assistant superintendent of Business Services, adding that the expense was budgeted in the project cost. The modernization was funded through Measure B and through state funds.

Once completed, Donlon will have expanded teacher workrooms, conference and staff area as well as up-to-date classrooms, library and restrooms, said Principal Marc Schweitzer.

A new two-story building will add 17 to 18 classrooms at Foothill High, part of the Phase IV-B $6.6 million project funded through developer fees and state funds.

This year Foothill's audio-video laboratory moved into a recently remodeled building with rooms for filming and editing as well as housing its leadership classroom. The building also includes an expanded staff area.

To improve traffic safety at the school, the city is currently installing traffic signals in front of Foothill's parking lot on Foothill Road. The light will be operational by the first day of school, said Principal Kevin Johnson.

Construction on Amador Valley High's aquatic center is also under way. The $2.6 million project, which will be located behind the school's new two-story, 24-classroom building, includes installing a 30-meter swimming pool, pool support buildings, landscaping and asphalt surfaces.

The project, funded through developer fees and state funds, is scheduled for completion by January 2005.

Hart Middle School is seeing the beginning of a planned expansion for four modular classrooms in the northeast corner of the campus. That project, which will add 3,840 square feet to the school, will cost $1.5 million and is funded through developer fees and state funds.

At Vintage Hills, the installation of a brightly colored playground structure is complete. The play structure includes slides and a climbing wall and was installed over a rubber composite surface made from recycled tires.

The surface, which is up to 6 inches thick in high-impact areas, provides a safer play environment for children, said Anton. The play structure cost $91,472, funded by developer fees, Measure B and state funds.

The last site on the tour was the future home of Neal Elementary School. The proposed school, to be located on 13.2 acres in east Pleasanton on Vineyard Avenue, is facing an uphill battle.

The school district is currently in litigation with property developers Signature Properties and Standard Pacific Homes over issues regarding a 2001 agreement regarding the cost of building the $13.5 million school.

A more tangible issue at hand for the proposed school, an asphalt batch plant, is operating within 1,800 feet of Vineyard Avenue, near the school site. The odor produced by the plant operated by Granite Construction Co., while unpleasant, is not harmful, Lemmons said.

However, she said she expects that parents with children who may attend Neal, when it is built, will raise questions about health and safety issues because of the proximity of the plant to the school site.

An Alameda County Planning Commission public hearing to discuss the plant operations and possible remedies will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 2, in the City Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.