District Construction Update

We are happy to report that about 90% of the construction projects in the district have wrapped up. Below is a list of the completed projects, with before and after pictures for most projects. There are still a couple of projects that are ongoing in the district, including the new greenhouse, renovation of the maintenance shed, and the library renovation.

In all, the district was able to start and finish (mostly) 14 different building or renovation projects over the course of 3 months. The projects totaled just under $4,500,000. We are excited for the updates to our building, and look forward to our students, staff, and community members being able to enjoy a facelift to the building and grounds.

The district anticipates having a small balance remaining of the $4.5 million. We will work with our staff and school board over the course of the school year to prioritize additional projects to complete next summer.

GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT NORTH CRAWFORD!!

The old ballasted roof system was removed from the building, and over 120,000 square feet of new rubber EPDM semi-adhered roof membrane was installed on the building. The new roof will eliminate water leakage into the building, as well as provide greater energy efficiency to the building, saving the district thousands of dollars each year in heating, cooling, and maintenance costs.

The old exterior wall stucco EIFS was removed, and a new horizontal steel siding was installed. The new EIFS will provide the building with water protection, better energy efficiency, as well as giving the building a more modern look.

The old exterior windows, which were original to the building, were removed, and new exterior windows were installed. The new windows are a high efficiency, aluminum, two pane, horizontal slide window. Windows facing south and west were given a heavier tint to help with sun and heat exposure. The new windows will provide better weather protection, energy efficiency, and gives the building a fresh, modern look.

The old asphalt parking lots and walkways were removed, and replaced with new concrete parking lots and walkways. The concrete parking lots will save the district thousands of dollars each year in annual asphalt maintenance, as well as extend the life of the parking lots.

The old tile flooring was replaced with a new poured epoxy flooring with colored paint chips. All hallway and common space floors were done, with the exception of the high school wing hallways, and the elementary wing hallways. Those two areas will receive the new floors in the next few years. The new floors should save the district thousands of dollars each year in general maintenance and cleaning, as well as providing the district with a durable floor that should last many years.

The old single room shower facilties in each of our four locker rooms were removed, and new single stall showers were constructed in each of the locker rooms. The new showers now meet all applicable codes and laws, as well as providing a more private area for students and staff to utilize the shower facilities.

Through the referendum planning process, and subsequent facility study, the district found out that the building was four restroom facilities short to meet state codes and federal disability laws. The district had two options, either renovate our existing restrooms to meet applicable codes and laws, or build four new restroom facilities. The district chose to build four new facilities, all of which meet applicable codes and handicap accessibility laws. One new bathroom is located behind the large gym. The other three are located outside of the Performance Center/Cafeteria.

The old elementary cabinets, countertops, and sinks, many of which were original to the building, were removed and replaced with new custom built cabinets, countertops, and new sinks and fixtures. The new cabinets will provide additional storage space inside the classroom for teachers, as well as providing a fresh, updated look to the classrooms.

The district made the decision after one year of running a childcare center, that we would expand the center to be able to include additional children. This means adding two additional classroom spaces for kids, as well as renovating a restroom to create a second restroom facility. Additionally, hallway doors were added to provide a more private and secluded space for the childcare center.

The courtyard area between the middle and elementary wings, as well as the area behind the building, have presented water drainage issues for several years. The district regraded the courtyard area to allow for better water drainage, as well as installed a gutter system behind the building to pull water away from the building.

While these projects were not done with referendum dollars, the district refinished both gymnasium floors this summer. The small gym floor had damage due to a roof leak. The large gym floor had a faulty finish on the floor due to a malfunction in our logistics system that controls temperature and humidity in the building. The district now has two newly refinished floors that will be a source of pride for many years to come.

The district has poured the cement pad in preparation for the arrival of the new greenhouse kit. The new 24' x 48', state of the art greenhouse, will serve the North Crawford Ag and FFA programs, as well as other classrooms and programs at North Crawford. We hope to partner with the community in the future to best utliize our greenhouse space. The greenhouse will be constructed later this fall.

The Library renovation project is an ongoing project in the school district that we hope to have completed by the end of the school year. At this point, the walls have been painted, new carpet has been installed, new cabinets and countertops were installed, a new circulation desk was installed, and new book boxes have been hung. We will also have custom bookshelves made by a local carpenter, as well as new flexible seating and other furnishings being purchased.

We are in the process of renovating our maintenance shed to allow for additional storage in the district, freeing up space for some much needed storage in the building. The maintenance shed will also be climate controlled, extending the life of our equipment and machinery.

We're proud to have partnered with Kraemer Bros. Construction as the school district's General Contractor, managing the selection of subcontractors, timelines, and project completion. The team at Kraemer Bros. kept the projects on a tight timeline, and within budget. The district previously worked with Kraemer Bros. in the construction of the new school in 1990-91, and the building addition in 1996. We proudly support a successful business based out of southwest Wisconsin (Plain, WI).

The district worked with FEH Design out of Dubuque, IA for the past year and a half on the design, architecture, and engineering of our projects. Kevin, Gary and the team at FEH assisted the district through the pre-referendum process, facilitating several community meetings and a community survey. They stayed with us through the referendum, worked with the district on any design or architectural changes as construction was occurring, and followed up with the district at completion to make sure the projects were completed satisfactorily.

We were happy to support and partner with several Wisconsin subcontractors to complete work on our projects. Several of these subcontractors are from right here in southwest and western Wisconsin. Contractors and subcontractors on site this summer included:

Bonnie Murphy Painting - Gays Mills, WI

Doug Heisz Concrete - Gays Mills, WI

Foggy Bottom Woodworks - Muscoda, WI

Great Lakes PowerVac - Pewaukee, WI

Hall Ceilings - Steuben, WI

Higher Ground Roofing - Kewaskum, WI

Kraemer Bros. - Plain, WI

La Crosse Glass - La Crosse, WI

Luther & Weber Painting - Spring Green, WI

McCormick Electric - Gays Mills, WI

Milis Flatwork - Kaukauna, WI

Momchilovich Drywall & Paint - Platteville, WI

MUZA Sheet Metal Company - Oshkosh, WI

Perry Yoder Custom Cabinets - Gays Mills, WI

Protective Coating Specialists - Appleton, WI

Showen Excavating - Gays Mills, WI

Stalker Sports Floors - New London, WI

Strang Heating and Electric - Viroqua, WI

Willow Creek Flooring - Sauk City, WI

Winona Heating and Ventilation - La Crosse, WI

Zimmerman Plumbing - Portage, WI

The North Crawford School District would like to sincerely thank our amazingly supportive communities for voting YES for our $4,500,000 referendum in November, 2022. Without this widespread support, we would not have been able to accomplish any of this work in the district. We hope we have made our students, staff, and community members proud with the renovations to the district. We have a building that we can all be proud of for many years to come.

Email: bmunson@ncrawford.k12.wi.us
Website: www.northcrawford.com
Location: 47050 County Road X, Soldiers Grove, WI, USA
Phone: (608) 735-4318
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057263208876
Twitter: @northcrawford