PERRYSBURG — An unanticipated request from the new fire inspector has resulted in a construction project for the Perrysburg Junior High School auditorium.
This is one of the many capital projects that were presented to the school board last week.
The auditorium project was not anticipated and had to be added to the current budget. James Mapus, executive director of the school district operations, detailed other projects which are coming in under budget, which ultimately could come close to balancing out this need.
“We did this to get a smaller price, we did propane buses, because ‘I can drive to Columbus and back on a tank of gas,’ those types of things get overlooked and I have to give outstanding credit to you and your department on how you save so much money, just because of your knowledge and skill doing all of this. I thank you for that,” board member Sue Larimer said.
The smoke relief upgrade project is estimated to cost $205,000, which will come from the Permanent Improvement Fund Levy, for the 2020-25 term. The Spieker Company has been contracted to perform the work.
“If there were ever to be a fire in the auditorium, because of the way the ceiling goes up, with all the drapes in that whole area, these louvers would open up and allow the smoke to escape through the top. They hadn’t done a test on it in several years,” Mapus said.
The new fire marshal asked to see if the existing system worked. It didn’t.
“It was not optional. The fire marshal said that this needs fixing at once. We moved it to the front of the list,” Mapus said. “This is actually a rebuild inside of what we already have, so there’s some retro-fitting, but it’s cheaper than demolishing and starting over.”
Mapus gave an overview of the other 15 major projects the operations department is also working on for the district.
One unknown amount of savings is in fuel costs related to the district buses, but it is expected to be significant, if prices stay where they are at.
There will be a purchase of three new school propane buses, replacing diesel engine buses, for a budgeted cost of $316,864.
That will make 16 propane buses in the fleet. Currently the propane to fuel the buses is costing the district 98 cents per gallon, according to Mapus.
The cost of diesel fuel is at record levels. A half tank fill-up with propane recently cost the district $28. Estimates of mileage show that propane gets about 10% lower mileage than diesel, but there are also lower maintenance costs. The buses use a converted gasoline engine, so the parts are common, easily found and considered extremely reliable.
Several expected savings will come in the following projects:
• Parking lot replacement at Toth Elementary, which was estimated to cost $160,000, but has been revised to $98,340. That would be a $61,000 savings.
• Roof replacement – Phase 1 of 3, at Toth Elementary, for an estimated cost of $215,150, which has been revised to a final cost of $166,456, for a $48,694 savings.
• Stage floor replacement at Perrysburg High School, for an estimated cost of $80,000, which has been revised to a final cost of $62,000, for a savings of $18,000.
One project has an increased cost.
The Huskisson Athletic Center Victory Plaza was estimated to cost $45,000. Materials and inflation have increased prices on that project. Now it is expected to be $78,000, or an additional cost of $33,000. It is a combination of donors and Permanent Improvement Levy for funding.
The remaining projects are still expected to come in at budget:
• North wall window repair and sealant work at Woodland Elementary for $29,435, from Masonry Restoration.
• Upgrade water boilers $2,164, from Downey PHCE.
• New cafeteria tables at Frank Elementary for $44,358 from Martin Public Seating.
• Roof replacement – Phase 1 of 4 at PJHS for $122,825 from Vodika Roofing.
• Two new mowers for $29,880 from Buck & Knobby.
• Upgrade HVAC controls at Hull Prairie Intermediate for $24,970 from Trane Heating and Cooling Services.
• Kitchen drain repair at Fort Meigs Elementary for $4,925, from Downey PHCE.
• Roof repair at HAC for $5,904 from Vodika Roofing.
• New HVAC for the Transportation Building for $6,100, from Downey PHCE.
• Repair pipe in floor at Frank Elementary for $2,000 from Downey PHCE.
• HVAC pipe loop at Fort Meigs Elementary for $4,183 from Downey PHCE.
