Following voter approval of a $
23.6 million bond proposal in November 2011,
Byron Center Public Schools is nearly ready to launch millions of dollars of major renovations and improvements of its school buildings.
The project will take 17 months to complete and will touch every building in the school district, says Frank Stanek, operations director and project manager for
Owen-Ames-Kimball, the company handling the work.
The project includes:
+ Installation of security vestibules at Countryside Elementary, Nickels Intermediate, West Middle and Byron Center High School. Construction will be completed in time for next school year.
* Improved airflow and air quality at Nickels Elementary.
* Adding eight classrooms and enlarging some existing classrooms at Brown Elementary, plus renovating the cafeteria, media center, art and music rooms and administrative spaces.
* Revamping existing classrooms at the High School, and relocating the band and choir areas for better use of the building. Work will take place beginning the winter of 2013 through the summer of 2013.
* Renovation of the adult education facility into an efficient Early Childhood Center so all kindergartens can be in one location, freeing up space in the school buildings.
"[These improvements] will provide security and a better learning environment for the students," Stanek says. "It will make it easier for the kids to learn because they'll be in a more comfortable environment."
Source: Frank Stanek, Owen-Ames-Kimball
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
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