At the September 13 North Royalton School Board meeting, the Board of Education voted to authorize the district to abate the asbestos from the three vacated elementary school buildings and the demolish two of them. The three schools have been vacated now that the new elementary school is open. Albion Elementary was constructed in 1956 and had additions in 1976 and 1988. Valley Vista originally opened in 1960 and then in 1962 the balance of the building was completed. In 1988 the new addition was dedicated. Royal View Elementary was built in 1965 and then had an addition in 1988.
The Board authorized a Guaranteed Maximum Price amendment for the abatement of Royal View Elementary School and the abatement and demolition of Albion Elementary School and Valley Vista Elementary School. Royal View is located on Ridge Road, just north of Bennett Road. Albion Elementary is located on Albion Road, just east of York Road and Valley Vista is on Wallings Road, east of State Road.
Jim Presot, Assistant to the Superintendent at the North Royalton City Schools, explained that “when you go to demolish a building, part of the requirement, is to have a hazard assessment of the building. You need to hire a contractor, who looks for different things, such as hydraulic oil and other chemicals – things that would go out into the atmosphere and soil.” The district will hire the EA Group, from Mentor to do a total facility hazardous assessment, taking samplings of items, such as flooring, ceiling and pipes. They will then file a report, which will be provided to Hammond Construction, who will then do the abatement and demolition.
The authorizations the Board of Education granted will allow the district to do the abatement for Royalview at a cost not to exceed $250,000, the abatement and demolition of Albion for a cost not to exceed $650,000, and the abatement and demolition of Valley Vista Elementary School at a cost not to exceed $550,000. District Treasurer Biagio Sidoti stated that the cost of the project has been planned for and has certified that the district has the funds to do these projects, but the money does not come from the actual $89.9 million bond issue. Presot stated that the project will be subsidized with the interest of the bond revenue and the district’s permanent improvement fund. Total cost of the project is expected to be $1.3 Million.
The Board will decide how Royal View will be used after the abatement takes place. Presot said they chose Royal View due to its central location, the condition of the facility and current structural integrity, and the fact that it contains a basement that acts as central distribution point for all materials and supplies that the district utilizes. Discussions have already taken place regarding the current situation of several departments of the district. “The goal is to put us all under one roof,” said Presot. He noted that currently, the central office has separate locations for Pupil Services, Curriculum and the administration.
The proposed time frame of the project is to have all three buildings completed before December 31. Presot said that it should take approximately three weeks to abate each building. Whether all three will be done simultaneously or individually is not known at this time. “Once buildings are down and demoed, we will then review the funding,” said Presot.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer
