Board OKs contract to update, modernize NBC facilities

by Mary Le Arneal
Published 4/13/11

North Bend Central will soon be getting a modernizing facelift.

The NBCPS Board of Education held a special meeting April 4 to consider a facility improvement contract with Trane Company to make several updates to the school buildings of North Bend Central. The goal is to begin work right after the last day of school and have it completed, or at least enough to be out of students’ way, by the first day classes in August.

The contract will cost $2.3 million and will result in a 10 to 12 percent energy and operational savings yearly. There will also be a one-time $1,400 savings from OPPD with the updates.

Brent Jackson from Trane presented the final contract with recent updates. Some of the items to be updated in the 40-year old high school building include:

• fire sprinklers
• security including installation of surveillance cameras and electronic card access to the buildings
• cabling for computer networking, phones and a new wireless bell system
• roof replacement (finish)
• replacing acoustical ceiling and install a new lighting grid
• heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements including cleaning of duct work and installing a thermostat in each room in addition to central control
• interior lighting project for commons area, locker room, gym with relighting and reballasting
• replacement of all breaker panels
• replacement of all exterior classroom windows

Updates at North Bend Elementary will include:

• increased security with cameras and an electronic card access system
• computer upgrade to improve communication between high school and elementary school
• relamp and reballast the lights in the old part of building
• improved regulation of heating and air conditioning
• computerization the building management system on a common network

After discussion and further questioning, the board unanimously voted to authorize superintendent Dan Endorf to sign the contract with Trane.

The board also approved the hiring of Carlson West Povondra Architectural Firm as consultants for the facilities project. Endorf said that Bob Soukup from CWP put a lot of time into the facilities audit and this hiring as consultant was a token of gratitude and the architectural firm would be contacted with any future building projects.

Endorf gave board members a chart of the bids that had been received for purchasing a new bus. There were five bids ranging from a used 2009 bus to a new 2012 one. The prices range from $61,500 to $80,697.63 with a lot of variables to be considered. Endorf asked the board members to study the chart and come back to next week ready to make a decision.

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