Members of the Rock Falls High School administration provide a tour to board of education members, pointing out the changes in lighting and color scheme for Tabor Gymnasium. These upgrades were part of a larger renovation, the key component being the installation of air conditioning. (Troy Taylor)
ROCK FALLS – Sheets of plywood covered the gym floor and yellow warning tape separated the unfinished kitchen from the cafeteria.
Yet, Rock Falls High School board of education members spoke with curiosity and excitement among themselves as they toured facilities being overhauled this summer.
“Fantastic, really fresh and fantastic,” board Vice President John Howard said.
Work started in May and will continue into August, facilities director Bryan Berogan said, who gave a detailed report on the progress of the two large renovation projects during the regular board meeting on Wednesday.
[ Rock Falls High School board approves contract bid for kitchen renovation ]
Gehrke Construction of DeKalb was tasked with the kitchen renovation. Loescher Heating and Air Conditioning in Sterling is responsible for the gym renovation. School maintenance staff is working on other areas.
The front portion of the school dates to 1920, though the renovated areas are additions that are not quite that old. The gym was constructed in 1954 and Berogan, an alum, said the kitchen was largely unchanged since the 1970s before this.
This is the first time the kitchen and Tabor Gymnasium will have air conditioning. Concern over air quality emerged during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning the district could apply federal recovery funds to those projects.
Members of the Rock Falls High School administration provide a tour to board of education members, pointing out the changes in lighting and color scheme for Tabor Gymnasium. These upgrades were part of a larger renovation, the key component being the installation of air conditioning. (Troy Taylor)
The district is allocating $1.2 million from the elementary and secondary emergency funds II and III, another $100,000 from the school maintenance project grant program and $1 million from the 1% county school facilities occupation tax for the kitchen renovation.
The gymnasium renovation was an $800,000 project, according to Kevin Rauch of Loescher.
Monday and Tuesday could be the busiest days yet for the kitchen renovation. Natural gas lines have been re-positioned and new concrete laid. Epoxy sealant added in the back half of this week will have cured so flooring can be added. Painters will be waiting in the wings to work as soon as the floor is set.
Berogan estimated 90% of the kitchen equipment is on site, meaning their installers are also ready. The target start date for kitchen installation is July 27. A dishwasher installer is scheduled for Aug. 11.
“The statement was, ‘You’re going to have to be an air traffic controller to manage everyone in there after Monday,’ ” Berogan said.
The only thing yet to arrive are two refrigerators. But a full-sized cooler-freezer combination unit will already be in place when school opens, Berogan said.
The timetable has been adjusted slightly, Berogan said. The readiness of the school facilities will depend not on whether the work will be completed – indications are for a timely installation.
But because of the computerized electronics involved, the manufacturers – who are coping with job vacancies like nearly everyone – won’t schedule personnel with the requisite expertise until every bit of the job is done.
Berogan said he is hearing that some places are waiting two to three weeks for certified personnel to arrive once the request is made.
Areas needing that level of startup expertise include the security and fire alarm systems – which will be installed July 28 to 29 – and the ventilation and HVAC systems – which could be in place by Aug. 8.
In summary, school can start on time, but Berogan said they should plan on the kitchen not being operational.
“Unless a catastrophe happens, we will be up and running to hold school, but we will have to serve cold lunches,” he said.
He estimated the second week of school will be the earliest hot lunches could be served.
Likewise, the gym could be used by Aug. 8. But he could not anticipate when the air conditioning would be turned on.
Editor’s note: This story was changed on Friday, July 22, 2022 to reflect a additional information about an additional contractor on the project.
Was named editor for Saukvalley.com and the Gazette and Telegraph in 2021. An Illinois native, he has been a reporter or editor in daily newspapers since 1989.
Copyright © 2022 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2022 Shaw Local News Network