Revamp timeline bumped up

New art facilities, air conditioning and nursing offices will come

sooner than expected for some public schools after the School Board’s

unanimous approval Wednesday of a timeline for modernization

projects.

The four Burbank Unified School District schools waiting to be

modernized as part of a $122.5-million bond passed in 1998 are Luther

Burbank Middle School, McKinley and Providencia elementary schools

and Monterey Continuation High School. Each were scheduled to begin

construction in sequence about a year apart from each other.

With the board’s vote, Luther Middle School will begin

construction next month, and the other three schools will have

overlapping construction schedules all beginning in 2007.

Board President Paul Krekorian cited the rising cost of

construction as part of the reason the district sought to move the

renovation forward.

“With increasing construction costs, the longer we wait, the more

expensive projects are likely to be,” Krekorian said. “It’s important

for us to expedite these programs and make sure we have sufficient

funding to complete modernization for all these schools.”

The total cost for the modernization of the schools is estimated

to be $28.9 million. The district had budgeted $20.6 million for the

projects and will also receive funding from the state after

construction plans are submitted to the Department of State

Architecture.

Krekorian also cited the board’s desire to quickly provide a

better environment for the school’s students and staff as reason for

their approval of overlapping the projects.

“I think the board has been eager to complete this program as

quickly as possible,” he said. “The schools remaining to be

modernized need to be treated fairly. They deserve to have

modernization as quickly as possible.”

The last two schools scheduled to be modernized, Monterey High

School and Providencia Elementary School, saw the biggest changes in

their modernization schedule.

Monterey High School, previously scheduled to begin construction

in early 2008, will now begin construction in May 2007 and is

estimated to last 12 to 16 months.

Providencia Elementary School, which was previously scheduled for

project completion in 2010, is now scheduled to begin modernization

in mid-2007 and reach completion by the end of 2008.

“It’s great; it’s a better date than before,” said the school’s

principal, Maria Teresa Delgado. “We’re happy about that and we’re

thankful for that.”

Delgado said both she and parents of students attending the school

were glad to have the construction moved forward.

“When we’d hear it wouldn’t begin until 2008, that seemed so far

away,” she said. “Before it didn’t seem like there was a light at the

end of the tunnel. Now there is a light.”

Luther Burbank Middle School is scheduled to begin modernization

in November and it will last 18 to 24 months.

William McKinley Elementary School is scheduled to begin

construction in March of 2007 and last 16 to 18 months.

“I’m thrilled,” McKinley Elementary School Principal Sue Holliday

said of the upcoming projects. “I know that when we go into

modernization, there’s discomfort -- you’re moved from classrooms,

but all the other schools survived, and I’m sure we will too.”

Modernization for the schools includes replacement of doors and

windows, and new ceilings, floors, walls, bells and wiring systems.

Some of the schools will receive a new staff facilities including

a new teachers’ lounge at Providencia Elementary School and a new

nurses office and Monterey High School.

Luther Middle School will receive a new arts facility.

Monterey High School, and McKinley and Providencia elementary

schools will also receive air conditioning.

QUESTION

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