Photographs by George Sakkestad

Workers remove old paint at Saratoga Elementary School on Oak Street as part of the asbestos-removal stage of the renovation.




Schools begin facelift, renovation

Saratoga, Redwood now work zones

By Jason Baker

Summer vacation for some may mean lazy days and trips to grandma's house, but for contractors and growing school districts it can mean only one thing--full-scale renovations.

The campuses of Saratoga Elementary School and Redwood Middle School have begun to resemble work zones more than school zones as workers move ahead with facilities expansion and construction.

District Facilities Director Paul Tipton said that, so far, projects are going according to schedule. Workers have yet to encounter major setbacks or any problems district planners hadn't foreseen, which Tipton attributed to thorough research and development.

"We've got our fingers crossed," he said. "Every projects has its unknowns."

Workers in June began initial renovations of Redwood and Saratoga schools, including abatement of structural components known to contain asbestos. Abatement consists of the removal of floors, walls and ceilings that contain asbestos material.

Saratoga and Redwood schools were constructed decades ago, when asbestos was commonly used in construction materials. Safety issues related to the use of asbestos in construction were not known then as they are today.

District officials said removal of the hazardous material represented a major step toward improving student safety and providing a healthy environment for education. Tipton said the abatement process was about 40 percent complete as of July 15, and should be finished by the end of the month.

Tipton said he has fielded very few calls from neighbors voicing concerns about the construction. Throughout the projects' planning stages, Saratoga Union School District superintendent Mary Gardner stressed the district's desire to maintain "good neighbor" status during renovations.

"I've received only three calls from citizens with questions about asbestos," Tipton said. "The district did a good job communicating with the community, which is very important."

The asbestos-removal process is completely contained at the school sites, Tipton said. The potentially hazardous material is tightly contained in asphalt and normally does not release fibers. Materials are kept wet to reduce dust and experts sample air to ensure that no fibers are released.

"In any instance where fibers are detected [in the air], work is stopped," Tipton said.


Photographs by George Sakkestad

Layers of history are removed from the old Saratoga Elementary School walls.




Upon completion of the abatement, construction of a new two-story classroom building and a new multipurpose room will begin at the Saratoga Elementary School campus. During that time, a two-story classroom will also be constructed on the Redwood campus. Plans also call for enlarging Redwood's multipurpose/music building and library/media building.

Tipton said groundbreaking for the new Saratoga School facilities was tentatively scheduled for the week of July 19. No date had yet been set for groundbreaking on the Redwood campus, but Tipton said demolition and abatement projects remained on schedule.

Additional projects planned for the Argonaut and Foothill campuses are slated to begin in the summer of 2000.

Saratoga voters in 1997 approved money for construction through Measure D, a $40 million bond initiative slated to renovate and modernize district facilities to meet health, safety and seismic standards. By law, Measure D funds can be used only on renovations and construction, not salaries or administrative costs. It is expected to cost homeowners about $39 per year per $100,000 of assessed home value.

More than nine months of controversy surrounding Saratoga construction plans ended April 27 when trustees unanimously approved a negative declaration and green-lighted the construction bidding process.

Trustees added an addendum to a draft negative-declaration report released in January, which included a study recommending ways to improve traffic around Saratoga School. It also contained a report detailing what will be done with 10 eucalyptus trees scheduled for removal from the campus--eight that are wedged between two classroom buildings and two massive trees that grow near the playground.

Officials and community groups reached a compromise on the issue, and the district agreed to keep the two large trees near the playground until May 2000. At that time, an arborist will recommend the removal of one of the two trees, keeping only the healthiest.

The arborist also will evaluate the four eucalyptus trees near the classrooms and determine if any are unhealthy. Workers will remove any found to be unhealthy or unsafe.

In an agreement reached between the city and the SUSD in June, any contractor who negligently causes destruction of either of the two largest trees may be fined $15,000 per tree.

Contractors also must secure a performance bond, which ensures that terms and conditions of the contract will be met satisfactorily, including tree protection measures.

"We've encountered no problems with the trees," Tipton said. "We're working closely with the arborist and are installing fencing and irrigation to ensure their protection."

Additionally, trustees agreed to re-curb and re-stripe in front of the Saratoga School, and to close off the loading/unloading zone on Komina Avenue, in hopes of relieving traffic congestion for neighbors and increasing street safety for students.

While traffic will increase near both campuses as construction continues, Tipton said, planners have taken scheduling truck traffic into consideration. Most construction vehicles will travel in and out of the areas between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m., in hopes of easing congestion.

Renovation and construction will continue through the summer and should be completed by next summer, barring any delays, he said.

Project information and updates can be found on the SUSD website, www.susd.k12.ca.us.

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