Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
In preparation for the first day of school on Aug. 29, Ramon Lopez washes the recently installed windows in Room 21 of a new building at Saratoga School. Last year, Saratoga School students were bused to Strawberry Park School in San Jose while this new 16-classroom two-story building and other projects were being constructed.
School district faces construction challenge
Parking, play space will be problems
By Leigh Ann Maze
With construction going on at all four Saratoga Union School District campuses, preparing for the start of school Aug. 29 has been extra challenging.
Student safety is the district's primary concern, but there is also concern about parking, play space and the feasibility of teachers preparing themselves and their classrooms for the start of school--in a hard-hat zone.
However, all schools--Redwood, Argonaut, Foothill and Saratoga--will be ready to open their doors to the returning students Aug. 29, said SUSD superintendent Mary Gardner.
The construction is the result of the Measure D school bond, which local voters approved in June 1997.
The bond is providing all SUSD schools with new classrooms to alleviate overcrowding, and renovation and modernization of existing classrooms, libraries, computer learning centers and restrooms. All plumbing, sewer and drainage systems are being upgraded or replaced. Some electrical, heating and ventilating systems are being replaced. New fire-alarm systems are being installed, and building exteriors painted. Seismic improvements are being made to all existing buildings as needed.
At Saratoga School, construction is mostly complete on the new two-story, 16-classroom building and a new multipurpose room. However, the renovation of the existing historic building is still having foundation work done and won't be ready to receive students until mid to late October, according to Gardner. During construction it was discovered that the historic building's foundation was not reinforced with rebar. The unexpected problem meant the building had to be lifted and the foundation had to be redone, putting the project behind schedule. A trailer has been put on the campus to temporarily house administrative offices and rooms that would have normally been used for special classes such as art or science will be used as regular classrooms, until October. The science and art materials have been put on portable carts.
The new blacktop and playfield at Saratoga School are also behind schedule, and will not be complete until two to three weeks after the start of school, according to Paul Tipton with Turner Construction, the SUSD's construction management company.
The SUSD is solving this problem by blocking off the parking lot after the children arrive at school so that it can be used as a play space at lunch and recess. The teachers will park at the SUSD district office and on the street.
To ensure student safety, district employees, SUSD board members and parents will help supervise the children in the makeshift playground during lunch and recess until the new playground is finished, Gardner said.
Other minor site work and front landscaping at Saratoga School will also be completed after the start of school.
At Redwood Middle School, the new two-story 16-classroom building, an extended library and media center, and athletic and music room additions to the multipurpose room are all expected to be ready for the returning students this week. However, the school will be without internet access for the first few days while wiring work and other site work detail is completed.
"We are very excited about the new buildings at Saratoga and Redwood," Gardner said. "We will have a walk-through for parents later in the school year when the site work is completed."
Student enrollments at Saratoga and Redwood schools are slightly higher than they were last year, Gardner said.
Construction just recently began at both Argonaut and Foothill schools, and work will continue through the school year. With the help of portable classrooms, both schools are ready for the returning students. Construction is expected to last about 15 months.
The Argonaut project includes the remodeling of all classrooms and the building of a new administrative building, recreational blacktop area, parking spaces and a larger multipurpose room. A daycare center will be relocated, and several new classrooms will replace old portable ones.
At Foothill, the old multipurpose room will be renovated into a new library with computer terminals. The renovations also will include five new kindergarten classrooms, three new general classrooms and a new multipurpose building with attached administrative office space. The daycare center will be relocated, and parking will be expanded to accommodate a total of 97 cars (about 30 new spaces).
Enrollments at Argonaut and Foothill are about the same as they were last year, Gardner said.
No SUSD students will need to be bused to other school sites this year. Last year Saratoga School students and some Redwood Middle School Students were bused to Strawberry Park School in San Jose while their campuses were under construction.
Despite the challenges posed by the construction Gardner said, "We expect this to be a wonderful year."
Saratoga, California Since 1955
