WESTFIELD – Abner Gibbs Elementary School on West Silver Street is on its way to getting a new roof on the annex behind the gym, according to Westfield Public Schools Chief Financial Officer Ronald R. Rix.
Abner Gibbs Elementary School will be getting a new roof on its annex in the next couple of weeks, according to district CFO Ron Rix. (WNG File Photo)
“We had issues with the roof last year, and did extensive patching to get it through the spring with the intent to do major repairs or a replacement,” Rix said. The money for the roof was put into the budget for deferred maintenance projects.
Rix said they did an assessment of the roof in July, and were told it had extensive damage. In August, samples of the roof were taken, which showed two roofs. Bid specifications were made up and advertised in September for three weeks.
The district received five proposals, and went with the lowest bid of $16,000 for a complete new 3,500 square foot PVC membrane roof going to R&H Roofing in Easthampton. Rix said they will tear off the old roof, put on a coating, membrane and cover. He said they got “lucky,” as the bid was almost half of some of the companies, because the vendor had some material in stock.
The annex is the newer part of the school, built in the 60’s. The main campus was built in 1913. “The big old section, we haven’t had issues with it,” Rix said.
“We’re right on the schedule that we had. Plan was to have the roof in by winter. They should be starting very soon,” he said, adding, “We’ve got all the work done.” They also moved one classroom (there are two in the annex), and will have to make some adjustments moving students around during the work, Rix said.
There have been some issues. Due to extensive rain in October, the roof was leaking more than before. Rix said they were up pumping water off the roof on rainy days to remove the standing water.
“The bottom line, we’ve been addressing this since the spring,” Rix said. The contract is drawn, and the purchase order done and they are completing paperwork with the vendor. The materials have also arrived. “In about a week, they will remove the old roof, and put on the new one,” Rix said. “We’ve been working on it. It just takes a little bit of time do to public construction projects.”
The roof is not the only work that has been done at the school. Rix said they did a major removal of a 10,000 gallon underground fuel tank this year. Rix said all of the schools are now dual fuel, oil and gas. At Abner Gibbs, though, they had to remove the oil tank, which was required by the Department of Environmental Protection. “Now we just burn natural gas,” he said.
Rix said the $26,000 of work being done at Abner Gibbs, between the boilers; oil tank and the roof were all planned for in the budget as capital expenditures.
Abner Gibbs is not the only school getting upgrades. Rix said that on November 7, they put in a whole new gas furnace from Mestek in Fort Meadow, replacing the 100-year-old furnace “we’ve been band aiding for years.” He said the $80,000 investment in the pre-school built in 1916 was also in the budget. “We’re keeping busy,” Rix said.
The work is not only bringing needed repairs but also savings, according to Rix. “Last year, we significantly reduced energy consumption with the new HVAC in Franklin Avenue. Their new heating system cut their consumption of fuel in half,” he said, adding that he expects savings from the new systems in Abner Gibbs and Fort Meadow.
