July 26, 2001
Groundbreaking for new Middle School is on schedule
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
The groundbreaking for the new Tiffin Middle School is on schedule next March.
Right now, plans are in the design development stage, Superintendent Denise Callihan said Wednesday. "In the design and development phase, we take a look at the academic and core spaces and define the cost projections.''
By consulting with teachers, plans have been drawn up to provide adequate classroom and storage spaces, down to the furnishings themselves.
Gilbane construction, the firm overseeing the project, has prepared a summary of projected costs. "They have to come in at or below budget,'' Callihan explained. The project budget is $15.2 million.
"A bid package will be completed in the early fall,'' she said. "Once completed, and the board approves the design development plans, they will set a pre-bid meeting date.''
Included in the plans are 10 classrooms for each grade level, a cafetorium, gymnasium, resource rooms at each grade level section, and other support spaces. "We have gone through everything and costed it out when going through the specs and plans,'' Callihan added.
"We think we are right on target with the designed spaces we had originally planned,'' she explained. "We changed on a few items, but the schematic design and the design itself have changed very little.''
Of the 22 homes purchased by the board for the middle school site, a few have already been razed. The rest of the demolition will begin next month, Callihan said, after asbestos abatements are completed. "We will see a flurry of activity with the razing of homes in mid-August,'' Callihan said.
A sample wall of the proposed brick face of the building is in Columbian High School's courtyard for the public to examine, Callihan said.
To aid in the re-routing of Martha Street, school officials have contacted three homeowners on Union Street, and appraisals are in process.
"We are on target for property acquisition,'' Callihan added. Of the $3.2 million budgeted for property acquisition, demolition and other site work, $2.1 million has been spent.
"We continue to be interested in acquiring property contiguous to the new middle school complex,'' Callihan said.
The design of the road is still being prepared by school architects Fanning and Howey. "The design of the road is not scheduled to be finished until Aug. 1,'' Callihan said. "Depending on what property we acquire, that will determine the lay of the street. The city has been very supportive.''