By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — With the public school year approaching, the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education reflected on the completion of various construction projects within the district.
Trustee Joseph Guido gave a summary of the information discussed during the Building Insight Committee meeting held prior to the Aug. 24 board meeting.
The district used $18 million from the voter-approved $70 million SMART bond from 2013 to completed its projects.
Guido told the board that $2.67 million remains in the district’s contingency fund in the bond budget which will be used for additional future projects.
“A lot has happened over the summer,” he said.
Paving and roof work was completed at Miller Elementary School, Nowlin Elementary School and Fordson High School.
Fordson also had work done on its concession stand area and bleachers, new basketball backboards, gym floor work and renovations in the band room and main lobby.
Roofing work was also completed at Becker Elementary School, Maples Elementary School, Oakman Elementary School, Lowrey Middle School and Salina Intermediate School.
Stout Middle School received paving work and auditorium renovations.
Additions were built at Henry Ford, William Ford, Geer Park and Snow elementary schools to accommodate for the growing enrollment of students.
Bryant Middle School roofing work is still in progress, but roofing renovations have been finished at Edsel Ford High School.
Restrooms and offices were remolded at Duvall Elemntary School, and Whitmore-Bolles also received office remodeling.
Multiple restrooms were updated at Long, McDonald and Miller elementary schools.
Concrete paving has been finished at Haigh and Snow elementary schools.
Dearborn High School had its auditorium renovated and locker rooms upgraded. O.L. Smith Middle School also received auditorium renovations.
Woodworth Middle School is adding a new cafeteria, remodeling the existing cafeteria into a learning space, getting a new roof and completed work on its parking lot and bus dropoff areas.
The Woodworth masonry is underway and the parking lot is completed.
At River Oaks Elementary School masonry is complete and the concrete floors have been poured. Roofing is still in progress, brickwork is about 95 percent done and the structural steel is finished.
“Digital signs will be completed by this fall at multiple schools,” Guido said. “The access control project is complete and the district wide furniture package is complete.”
Remaining unfinished work is planned to be completed by Sept. 8.
The final building Guido mentioned was the district’s Administrative Services Center which has an uncertain future.
“The big component that ties into a lot of our decision making is the technology part of it,” he said. “This building is wired for our district-wide technology and anywhere that we move from this location there is a substantial cost associated.”
The future of the former elementary school as well as the current administrative center will be on the agenda for the Sept. 11 board retreat at Henry Ford College.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)