San Martin/Gwinn Elementary and Burnett Elementary will both be
receiving much-needed renovation and modernization work, thanks to
a vote Monday night by School Board Trustees to move ahead and
accept state matching funds for the work.
San Martin/Gwinn Elementary and Burnett Elementary will both be receiving much-needed renovation and modernization work, thanks to a vote Monday night by School Board Trustees to move ahead and accept state matching funds for the work.
“This is work that needed to be done when I was in school,” Trustee Del Foster said, as the board voted 6-0 in favor of proceeding with the design of the projects.
The two schools had received state matching funds – an 80/20 match, which schools in the state may never see again, according to officials – for modernization work.
Funding for work at San-Martin/Gwinn is $448,688 and for Burnett is $811,354.
When the design plans were approved by the state three years ago, Director of Construction/Modernization Al Solis told trustees, the needs at the school were different.
“It was not clear that we could accept the state money, because we wanted to change the design,” he said.
But, he told trustees, he has had meetings with the architects, Weston and Miles, and with the school principals, and taking into consideration what are the most pressing needs at each school, has created a plan of work.
At San Martin/Gwinn Elementary, a landscaped area within the closed off street connecting the two schools will be created. A bus pull-out, with a rain and sun shelter, will be built at Llagas Street. And the playground equipment, purchased with funds raised by the Home & School Club, will be installed.
Work at Burnett Elementary will include a rain/sun shelter in the main parking lot, a slurry seal and re striping of the play and parking areas, replacing a portable, replacing a rotted frame of a covered walkway and re-roofing the walkway, replacing flooring campus wide, including carpeting, replacing door hardware to meet ADA compliance, repairing hazardous sidewalks and upgrading electrical systems.
District officials brought the issue to trustees during their March 22 meeting, asking trustees to consider refusing the state money and using the matching funds set aside by the district for other projects.
Trustees Mike Hickey and Shelle Thomas asked Solis and Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini to try to find a way that the district could use these funds.
“I don’t think we’re going to see this kind of match from the state again,” Thomas said.
Current renovation money from the state will be issued at a 60/40 match.
