Asbestos issues drive up costs for demolition of Franklin Regional elementary
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The bulk of Franklin Regional School District’s capital plan for the coming school year is demolishing the former Heritage Elementary School, although the cost has gone up substantially after asbestos was discovered in the building.
A little less than half of the $2.25 million capital budget for the 2022-23 school year is going toward razing the Heritage building, a process the district began exploring after completing its renovated primary and new intermediate elementary schools on the Sloan campus.
Several issues have contributed to the rising cost of a demolition that first was anticipated to cost about $400,000, school director Scott Weinman said. That price was quoted before an inspection revealed asbestos issues, new facilities director David Matzie said at this week’s school board meeting.
“What they found is that the original roof decking on the school has asbestos, along with a couple other minor asbestos issues with windows and doors,” Matzie said.
District officials have not announced any official plans for the land where Heritage sits. They have had lengthy discussions about the need for additional parking at the main campus on School Road, particularly when multiple events are happening.
They also have expressed interest in converting the nearby Newlonsburg Elementary building for a new use, potentially as a new location for administrative offices, which will be displaced when Heritage is torn down. The FRobotics team uses the old Newlonsburg cafeteria area as a workshop.
The capital budget for next year also includes $24,000 to buy drawers for student desks at the primary and intermediate elementary schools.
Superintendent Gennaro Piraino said part of the new classroom design at the Sloan-campus schools was for students to hang their book bags on a hook attached to their desks.
“That isn’t working out the way we envisioned,” Piraino said.
Matzie said the book-bag hooks have created a tripping issue.
School director Traci Eshelman Ramey asked if there is a more cost-effective alternative.
Spending $24,000 “sounds like a lot until you talk about it being for 800 or 900 desks,” Piraino replied.
Other major expenditures include a new chiller at the high school ($245,000), a new rooftop unit at the middle school ($175,000) and roughly $150,000 to replace commercial dishwashing equipment at both the high school and middle school.
Click here for a complete breakdown of the capital budget at the district’s BoardDocs website.