School renovation projects move ahead slowly but surely

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The Farmington School District is making progress on a collection of projects to improve district buildings.

Finance director Carl Colmark gave board members an update on a number of those projects at a workshop meeting June 25. They include renovations and expansions at Farmington and Akin Road elementary schools, upgrades to science classrooms at Boeckman Middle School and a solution for a noisy chiller at Farmington High School.

The BMS science room project is the only one currently under way. Five of the school’s classrooms are being remodeled to improve flexibility, and some worn-out items in the rooms are being replaced. The project is scheduled to be complete by Aug. 6.

According to Colmark, the work will cost $216,593, almost $60,000 less than estimates.

The district is still in the planning stage for the two elementary school projects, the most expensive items in the district’s construction plans. Colmark expects to complete planning this year with construction to be done during the summer of 2013.

Colmark said engineers are still looking for a solution to the noisy chiller at FHS. The sound from the equipment, part of the school’s cooling system, has drawn complaints from some neighbors. The project is scheduled for completion next summer.

Colmark said the process is moving slowly, but is on schedule.

“It’s a slow process because there’s a lot of red tape with the state of Minnesota we need to go through,” he said.

Tags: school district 192, education, farmington