Chestnut Grove renovations to greet students

Jul. 25—Renovations of Chestnut Grove Elementary will be nearly complete when students return to the school Aug. 5, according to Decatur City Schools officials.

A new ventilation system, LED lighting and fire sprinklers in the ceiling will be in place in the K-2 section when students and staff return to the school along Cedarhurst Drive Southwest. Also, activity buildings at Chestnut Grove, Julian Harris and Austinville elementary schools are expected to be completed within the month after school commences. The 5,000-square-foot buildings will provide an indoor option for exercise and other activities.

Last summer, the Chestnut Grove's office area was renovated. Next summer, the grades 3-5 section will be renovated and during the summer of 2023, the fine arts section will be improved, Superintendent Michael Douglas said.

Douglas said the original plan was just to replace Chestnut Grove's HVAC system, but the timeline expanded when DCS decided to add sprinklers for fire protection.

"We wanted sprinklers in the building," Douglas said. "We want what's safest for our students."

DCS Project Manager Lee Edminson said when Chestnut Grove was built in 1992 it met existing building codes, but those safety codes have changed.

"They built firewalls instead of sprinkling the building," he said.

After ripping out ceilings this summer, "We put in a new HVAC, new sprinkler lines, new fire protection system, new LED lighting, new ceiling grids," he said. "Above-the-ceiling inspections passed (Tuesday). That was a huge milestone for us."

He said replacing the HVAC system is overdue.

"The maintenance department did a fantastic job keeping that school's system up and running. It's been in there since 1993. That is a long time for any HVAC system," Edminson said.

He said students also will notice flat-panel LED lights in classrooms, the library, hallways and common areas.

"It's all new and clean in that section. We're proud we're on budget, on time and with the quality of work," Edminson said. "Next summer the other classrooms will get new HVAC, new ceilings, the exact same thing."

He said supply chain issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the construction of activity buildings at the three schools.

"Our goal is to have everything ready before school begins in August, but it'll probably be two to four weeks after school starts before the activity building is completely ready to use," Edminson said. "It took us 12 and 16 weeks to get metal buildings for two of the schools."

He said the Chestnut Grove activity building will have two basketball goals, restrooms and an office. He said the gym floor and landscaping outside remain unfinished.

"We haven't been able to get sod for the outside, and flooring is soft and spongy. It takes about two weeks after the building is ready to build those layers up and get the thickness and softness for the floor and still maintain where you can bounce a ball on it," Edminson said. "Being an elementary school, we like to throw some colors in. The flooring, although it looks fancy, is very durable."

He said the softer floor can help prevent injuries during falls.

Douglas said the price tag for the work this summer at the 60,000-square-foot Chestnut Grove building is about $1.7 million.

The entire school renovation project will be about $4 million.

— mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.