School renovation to cost $4M to $5M

By D.A. WILKINSON

wilkinson@vindy.com

COLUMBIANA

If all goes well, the renovation of Joshua Dixon Elementary School will be completed by the start of the 2011-12 school year, officials said.

Terry McCoy of Strollo Architects in Columbiana on Tuesday estimated the cost will be between $4 million and $5 million.

McCoy said that there will be a meeting today with contractors who may bid on parts of the work. Specifications for contractors are to be available by April 27, which will be followed by bids.

The five-step plan includes:

Creating a new bus garage at the rear of the school.

Demolishing the old bus garage.

Putting a new, red metal roof over the school building to prevent leaks and adding four new classrooms. Fourth-graders will move from other schools to Dixon by the end of the project.

Renovating four classrooms at a time during the 2010-11 school year.

Building a gym at the front of the building and a nearby drop-off area for parents who drive their children to school.

In a first step, city of Columbiana workers helped determine that what school officials thought might be a broken underground water pipe was just a drainage issue, according to Superintendent Don Mook.