Renovations underway at Sonoma Valley schools

With fewer people on school campuses in the summer, Sonoma Valley Unified School District maintenance staff uses the school break as a time to come in and make repairs, while construction crews embark on planned construction projects.

“Generally speaking, our teams make the most of the opportunities over the summer for improvement so that there is the least disruption to students, staff and families,” said Socorro Shiels, district superintendent. “This summer some particularly visible projects are the parking lot changes at Flowery and the field changes at Altimira.”

Storage is always a challenge in schools, but Flowery Elementary School will also get a new space to store tables with a renovated multi-purpose room. More spaces are coming for Flowery staff parking, as well, and excavators are digging and moving dirt to create a path for better traffic flow. Bruce Abbott, associate superintendent of the district, recently described drop-off and pick-up areas at elementary schools in general as typically “a mess.”

The expanded traffic area is expected to help nearby Sonoma Charter School’s traffic flow, too. The Charter School will replace old portable buildings with new modular, portable buildings.

The various projects at Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) range from better bathrooms to better lighting, and will be paid for through Measures E and H bond revenues. Passed in 2016 the $120 million Measure E bond was promised to fund repair and update of classrooms and other school facilities, including upgrades in technology.

Measure H, passed in 2010, has already paid for solar panels and other improvements and, this summer, is paying for locker room renovations at Altimira Middle School. Dry rot was uncovered in the locker room last year during another summer rehab project when new a HVAC system was being installed.

While it’s not a project that is “pretty” or exciting to most people, Tony Albini, maintenance manager for the district, said he is looking forward to getting some work done at Dunbar Elementary School in Glen Ellen. Bathrooms in the kindergarten and primary building will be updated and the supporting septic system will be replaced. On the agenda for Dunbar is also having acoustic panels installed for sound mitigation in the multi-purpose room.

Sassarini Elementary School, meanwhile, will receive retrofitted lighting and additional lighting in the parking lot where currently there is none.

To improve the flow of foot traffic in the hexagonal-shaped Creekside High School, located on the Sonoma Valley High School campus, the center of the building – where all rooms are circled around – the school’s interior will be modernized.

Altimira Middle School’s track and field will get enhancements so that the field can be used in inclement weather.

“We are grateful for the hard work year round of our maintenance and operations team and the bind construction team,” Shiels said.

Contact Anne at anne.ernst@sonomanews.com.