Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Standing in a corridor at Shawano Community Middle School, Matt Heimann of August Winter & Sons Inc. discusses his firm’s plans for installing the school’s new heating and ventilation system.
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Miron Construction Co. workers Jeff Behm, on ladder, and Bill Ritchie work on removing overhead ceiling panels in a corridor at Shawano Community Middle School.
With an eye on finishing the job by August, crews have moved into Shawano Community Middle School and started an historic renovation of the 62-year-old building.
Construction workers are pulling late-night hours to avoid disruptions to students and teachers while the school year continues normally amid the renovation.
Crews start their day at 3:30 p.m. and work until 1:30 a.m.
“They’re just working late hours to stay out of the way,” said Jeff Easter, the school district’s director of building and grounds, who is overseeing the nearly $10 million project.
Voters in November approved a referendum to borrow $9.25 million — adding another $700,000 in district funds — to complete a long list of improvements at the middle school, which once served as the community’s high school.
A groundbreaking ceremony kicking off the project is scheduled for 3 p.m. April 14 at the middle school, 1050 S. Union St.
But construction management firm Miron Construction Co. moved equipment and crews into place starting last week, eager to get going with a complex job that will continue for more than four months.
“We’re off to a good start,” Miron project manager Jared Olk said.
By the time work is complete, the middle school at 1050 S. Union St. will be outfitted with a new main entrance, an enlarged cafeteria, new gymnasium locker rooms, an updated kitchen, a new heating system, improved band and orchestra rooms, and more.
After voters gave their approval in the November referendum, district officials executed the $9.25 million bond issue, structuring a debt plan that will cost the owner of a typical $100,000 house an average $51 in property taxes annually throughout the 15-year payback.
School administrators called the renovation long overdue and said it likely would keep the middle school functional for another 25 years or longer.
Easter briefed School Board members on the construction start-up earlier this week.
Crews began by tearing down hallway ceilings to start with overhead installation of the new heating and ventilation system. That will be followed by systematic demolition in other areas where school activities either will be relocated or will continue undisturbed as much as possible.
The building’s old heating-system boilers are scheduled to be shut down and removed starting in mid-April, weather permitting.
The school’s main gymnasium has been closed and converted into a long-term staging area for renovation equipment and supplies.
After the school year ends in early June, the entire building will be declared off-limits and will be transformed into a construction site, with all school employees and normal activities relocated for the summer while construction work kicks into high gear.
“There’s going to be a lot of bodies running around doing lots of stuff,” Easter told the School Board.
At its peak operational level, the construction site probably will have between 30 and 40 workers side by side, Olk said.
The project manager voiced optimism about an Aug. 19 date set as the goal for substantial completion of the project, which means the building will be functional and inhabitable, with some work still ongoing. Getting an early start during the current school year is helpful for meeting that deadline, Olk said.
He added that students and teachers have been understanding and tolerant of the construction crews in the building.
“Everybody’s happy to see the project moving forward,” he said.