WALTON, Ky. -- District officials for Walton-Verona Independent Schools are preparing for renovations that will update the district’s elementary building and make it safer.
Staff members are in the planning and designing stage of the project and hope to meet with engineers this month, said Director of Instruction and Operations Mark Krummen.
“What we’re hoping to do is probably by late January have it ready to go out to bid,” he said.
The project is estimated to cost between $1.3 and $1.8 million, which will be paid through bonds, Krummen said.
The renovation includes replacing walls and windows on the front of Walton-Verona Elementary School, which was built in 1971.
“Schools are no different than your house,” Krummen said. “You have to do certain things to keep them maintained and updated.
“There’s a lot of stuff to stay up on.”
The building also will get a new roof and new doors. Some classroom doors currently require an individual to step out into the hall to lock them, which could pose a safety hazard in the event of an emergency, Krummen said.
Classroom doors are supposed to remain locked anyway, but if they are not, the new ones will allow educators to lock them with keys from inside the rooms.
Walton-Verona Elementary School is getting new walls, windows, doors, roofing and wiring next year. Photo provided by Mark Krummen
Cable wiring will be updated as part of the renovation as well. The building has been wired differently over time since the 1990s, but its current wiring – classified as Category 6 – is somewhat outdated, said Director of Technology Dan Stenger.
“Some of the wiring standards then, compared to the wiring standards now, are not as robust,” he said.
The new wiring will increase accessibility and speed, making it easier to use modern technology in classroom settings.
“A lot more of our content is being delivered via the Internet now,” Stenger said. “A lot of it’s more media based as opposed to just text.
“This will make sure that infrastructure does not get in the way of delivering that instruction.”
To limit interference in the educational process, much of the construction will be done over summer break or on second shift and weekends, Krummen said.
“The teachers and the kids won’t have to be out of the classrooms,” he said.
District officials expect to begin construction early next year and hope to have it complete for the 2016-17 school year.
“Hopefully we’ll have construction ready to start after spring break and completed by this time next year,” Krummen said.
