Archive: Around Town

When school board members took a tour of Lansing High School in mid August wires were hanging everywhere, ceilings and floors hadn't been installed, piles of insulation and other building materials were everywhere.  A week ago they toured the building a second time, and it was like viewing an entirely different building.  Not everything was working as it should, but Principal Eric Hartz said that every day a little more was coming online and he was pleased with the progress.

"I think we're doing a great job," he said. "Everybody has phone, everybody has at least one computer (connected to ethernet cable for network and internet access) that is working, and if not we have the wireless working.  We knew we were going to be into October before we finished.  We knew that in the beginning."

There was some concern among teachers especially about computers being hooked up to the school's network so they could teach technology classes.  Hartz said that wifi was working for everybody in most school locations, and wired connections would follow shortly.  At the time of the tour there were a few locations that couldn't receive a signal because walls now go to the actual ceiling of the building.  The addition of some new access points should fill in those gaps.

Before and after: the band room has new acoustic tiles, walls, and a paint job

Construction Manager Rob Medieros said that all the classrooms had two wired connections installed on a 'teaching wall' and at the back of the room, but the hookups were not necessarily where teachers wanted or needed them.   Hartz credited Microcomputer Specialist Nancy Raza with doing a great job of getting the rooms connected.  And while wall clocks were not hooked up, the PA system and bells were all working last week.

"Are we exactly where we want to be?  No," said Hartz.  "But with our data money this building has picked up some 30 new computers.  At the same time the computer lab was swapped out.  Now all the teachers who have Promethean Boards have new or year-old computers on them. If we had done it too quickly we'd have had to go back and do it again.  So why not do it right the first time?  I think we're in a great place."

Before and after: the hallway to the counseling offices and nurse's office

Most significantly classroom walls now go to the actual building ceiling.  They are thicker and well insulated.  That paired with a quieter HVAC system significantly improved the learning environment, making classrooms a lot quieter.  School board members and administraters entered adjoining rooms and shouted to see whether they could hear each other through the walls.  The improvement was impressive.

Heating and airconditioning, lockers, and security were ongoing projects.  There will be no air conditioning until around November, but heating is working now.  Air induction units arrived a week ago.  The building has had heat, but these units are needed for air conditioning once installed.  The final piece is rooftop units which are set to ship October 14th.  Medieros says it will take one day to install them on the roof.  Then it will take three to five days to connect them, and another to balance the system.

Security systems were roughed in at the time of the tour.  Power packs were installed in the ceiling, ready for devices to be installed.  Medieros said cameras and swipe card locks installation would be completed around now.  Swipe card locks are only going on exterior entrances.  There will be four at the high school, four at the middle school, and three at the elementary school.

Teaching wall with Promethean Board installed
These windows were precariously attached at the top, prompting fear that students could push through them. Now they are secured to the roof of the building at the top, as well as to the wall below.

Lockers were being assembled in the wrestling room, then carried into place in four or five foot wide sections.  Hartz says that the team locker rooms have been available throughout, and ongoing locker installation hasn't affected theft issues that have plagued the high school, especially in team locker rooms.

"The theft problem has gotten much better here anyway," he said.  "We've really tightened a lot of things down, and I am proud that has gotten much better over the last two years.  But the team locker rooms weren't touched, so they were available since boys and girls sports began.  The teams have done a great job of sharing and utilizing the space we have."

Before and after: the library

Buildings & Grounds Supervisor Glenn Fenner's crew painted all the interior walls, old and new.  Hartz says that makes a big difference in the look and feel of the school, making it seem as if there is more light.

Workers continue to come in each day at 2:30pm and work until 11pm.  Hartz says there are some things they can do during school hours that will not disrupt classes, such as locker assembly.  Medieros asked contractors for final completion lists last week.  He estimated the final completion date would be between the end of October and the middle of November.

v7i37