The Harwood Union Unified School District (HUUSD) Board received updates on progress made at each of the district’s seven schools at its meeting last week. At the board’s August 30 meeting Ray Daigle, director of facilities and operations, presented the latest updates on capital improvement projects. Each of the schools in the district has seen recent work, from minor equipment replacements to larger construction work. The projects were also detailed in a written report.
At Duxbury’s Crossett Brook Middle School, security upgrades were in order as access controls were added. This work is nearly finished. Also done are repairs of potholes and other damage in the school parking lot. A couple of projects are still upcoming: classroom partitions are to be installed this month, and a quote was also expected within the week for needed replacement of an old door at the rear of the building. The anticipated refinishing of the gymnasium floor will take place next June; flooring contractor Danaher Floor could not fit this job into its 2023 summer schedule.
Fayston Elementary School saw a few upgrades, including replacement of the fence at the preschool playground and a summer installation of new carpeting and flooring in the building. Nearly finished was establishing digital controls for the HVAC system, with training anticipated for this week. A partial roof replacement, meanwhile, has been postponed as no one responded to the initial request for proposal. A new bidding process will take place in 2024.
Harwood Union High School is the subject of a larger community discussion as the board continues to explore a municipal bond for improvements throughout the building. In the meantime, Daigle offered a description of several projects that have already been finished. First, a replacement of the roof over the gym, auditorium and art areas was completed under budget, costing $368,600 (versus a budgeted $452,300). Similarly, carpeting in the LRC came in under budget, having been completed for $38,980 (while budgeted at $46,000), as did rekeying the building locks, at half of the original $40,000 budget. Other completed work included patching the parking lot and installing walls in humanities classrooms. Anticipated for this month are folding partition replacement at Harwood Middle School and replacement of exterior entrance doors. The date for installation of wrought-iron fence in Kate’s Garden is currently awaiting word from a vendor.
Moretown Elementary School received several updates, including new carpeting and flooring, repainting of the gymnasium walls, and installation of water softener to aid in reducing minerals in the water to ensure a better taste. A stormwater drainage system was also scheduled for completion, and replacement of the school’s entry door is to be done by Burlington Glass Center this month.
At Brookside Primary School in Waterbury, two more projects were finished under budget: replacements of the front steps (budgeted for $30,000 but completed at $21,800) and the school’s basketball court (done at $32,500 versus budget $62,191). The building’s north entry is to be completed by Burlington Glass this month. Still to be done are storm window replacement (Daigle reported difficulty with finding contractors who could meet the district’s timeframe), and HVAC upgrades, which will be bid out this fall for work to take place next summer.
Warren Elementary School had two projects done: the installation of a wall closing off the gym from the hallway, and new carpeting and flooring.
Waitsfield Elementary School, meanwhile, has a new kitchen, inspected and ready to go for the new school year. With a score of 100% from the Vermont Health Department, the kitchen is now up and running.
