Project Close Out 6.1.22

 Project Close Out

The Grand Opening of the new Toledo High School was held on April 22nd in the gym of the new school. The event was attended by members of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe who drummed and sang. Suzanne Donaldson from the Tribe presented a button blanket that is displayed in the Spirit Hall. Representatives of IBI Group Architects spoke about the design and process of building. The ribbon was cut by members of the board of directors and then the school was available to the public for touring.

Jones and Roberts are completing the last of the details of the project including landscaping on the south side of the building. They are expected to be fully complete and billed out by mid-July.

The district thanks  Ross Parker Lead Architect, IBI Group, Forrest Roberts and  Doug Jones of Jones and Roberts Construction, Doug Nichols, Project Manager, Mike Ross, Maintenance Director TSD, Martin Huffman, Principal THS and the staff and students of THS for their contributions to the completion of this project. Most importantly, we thank the taxpayers of Toledo School District for their willingness to support the building of this modern replacement for the old high school facility.

Construction Update 12/6/21

 Work continues on interior spaces of the school along with final touches to the new parking lots expected to be completed this weekend. Site work on the south side of the building (old classroom wing area) awaits drier weather. Landscaping in the front parking lot is installed. Traffic boulders will be in place soon to protect plants from drivers and to keep folks from parking in the lane in front of the stadium. New parking stalls have been striped on the road leading into the school and parking remains available on the tennis court. We've also added wheel stops to the north and west parking lots so parking will be available there soon.

Family and Consumer Science classroom will be the last room to be completed. Ceiling grid and mechanical hookups are underway. Sheetrock and paint are in. Casework and carpet will finish the room around the end of the month. Casework and furniture is nearly complete in all other spaces. Our contractors are working on resolving some of the oversights while also completing construction. Siding and downspouts are expected this week as are electrical and mechanical connections.

Most of the exterior painting is completed with the new colors. The interior of the building is brighter and better ventilated than the old building and the remaining roof leaks have been addressed thanks to a few days of good weather. We are grateful to our community for providing a space that is warm, safe and dry.

Construction Update 10.1.21

 Construction Status

Most of the spaces in the new school are occupied and used for daily in-person instruction. The Commons and kitchen are also in use as are all of the athletic facilities. Science labs, Art, Shops and all  classrooms are complete. Still under construction are the library, music room and family and consumer sciences classroom. There are a variety of smaller, finish jobs to be completed throughout the facility, but those can be handled in the final days of work. 

On the outside, work continues on the parking lot areas to the north and west of the building. The reason parking is so limited right now is that 75% of our parking is under construction. Irrigation is being installed in the front parking lot areas and concrete continues to be poured for sidewalks and ramps. 

The board selected a different color scheme for the exterior of the building. You can see the mock up of gray and red/brown on the exterior of the building. Field color will be gray with accents in red/brown. We've heard many compliments on this combination and that it is preferable to yellow.

Members of the Grand Lodge of Washington F&AM rededicate the cornerstone of the high school.

Carpenters' Strike

The Association of NW Carpenters voted down an agreement last week and went out on strike throughout Washington state on Thursday, Sept. 23. This means that most of Jones & Roberts team is not working on our project right now. Some subcontractors are continuing to work at this point. We are hoping that the parties can reach an agreement soon so that work on the project can continue.

Roof

We continue to experience supply chain problems. The most serious of these is not being able to take delivery on roofing materials. While we are hopeful that this will be remedied soon, it is difficult to get clear understanding of when these materials will be delivered (or even if they've been manufactured).

Bottom Line

Our project is on budget, but it is no longer on schedule and completion seems more likely to be in late November.

Construction Update 8.4.21

Our contractors have been able to maximize the good weather with pours of concrete around the exterior of the building creating new plazas for pedestrians. Furniture, fixtures and equipment are being delivered and assembled. The gym floor has been sanded down to bare wood and is now in the process of being stained and painted in preparation for a new finish. Interior spaces are in the process of being readied for the first day of school. We will be meeting Friday to confirm areas of the new building that will be ready for occupancy. 

Some of the areas that will continue to have construction are the Family and Consumer Sciences classroom. This area is where the old office and student restrooms were. This class will meet in one of the science labs until the room is completed in October. Another area that will have ongoing construction is the area of the old classroom wing. This wing is nearly demolished and will be the site of a new outdoor learning and congregating area. There will be additional modifications that we expect will be ongoing through the end of December, however the project will be substantially completed in mid-September.

Having staff and students working remotely due to the pandemic and good weather through much of the project has helped us stay on schedule. However, supply chain challenges have nearly offset those schedule gains. Difficulty getting paint, doors, roofing materials, equipment and fixtures has delayed inspections and construction. As with any construction project, we are solving problems as they arise and are excited to deliver a high-quality building to the community.

We are tentatively planning the dedication of the new school in mid-September. The event will be on a Saturday to allow as many people to attend as possible. On August 27 at 6 p.m., officers from the Grand Lodge of Washington F&AM will be on hand to rededicate the cornerstone of the high school that was laid in 1974. Having the state officers perform this ceremony is an exceptional honor. We hope that you'll plan to attend.

As mentioned, the old classroom wing has been demolished. We have set aside a large pile of bricks for those who would like a souvenir of the old building. You will find the pile near the tennis court. Please note that there is no access for vehicles to load from this pile. This is intended to be an "all you can carry in your hands" opportunity. The bricks are rough and unsuitable for projects (unless you want to spend a lot of time cleaning off the old cement and cinderblock). Please, do not enter the demolition area. It is quite unstable and dangerous.

Here are some recent photos from the site:

 

Construction Update 4.23.21

 Construction continues on schedule and on budget. Students are occupying the new classroom addition and locker rooms, staff is utilizing the new office spaces and the new Commons is being occupied. These facilities have superior ventilation, light and technology to support student learning. In addition, they are more accessible and well-insulated. Sound doesn't permeate walls, water doesn't come through the ceiling and walls and there are more supports for the work that staff and students do at school. The shops are complete and await delivery of new woodworking equipment in the summer (bandsaw, planer, drill press, table saw, lathe, etc.)

However, the project isn't complete. Work continues on the new  kitchen which will be ready for inspection next month. With the exception of the dishwasher (new in 2016), all of the equipment in the kitchen is new. In addition, there are windows that look out on trees that give the  servery area a nice atmosphere. 

Casework is being installed in the Art and Science rooms as walls and floors are also completed in those rooms. Concrete was poured yesterday that leveled the sunken area of the old gym and where the old stage was. This will be the new library and the new Business lab. The final classroom to be built will be the Family and Consumer Science room. This will be placed where the old office and restrooms are currently. Unfortunately, our construction cameras won't be able to capture a lot of the work that we're doing between now and the end of June. In July, demolition of the old classroom wing will start and the site work for the new parking lot will begin. 

Construction Update 3.26.21

 We've moved offices into the new building and have begun to use the new workroom space. Visitors will enter through the new main doors to the school and be greeted by office staff. The new classroom and office spaces are light and bright with plenty of room to maneuver. Ventilation and natural light are abundant. Reviews from students and staff are positive. If you visit, you'll notice what appears to be OSB on the walls. This was intended to be a protective wainscot. When selected, the building committee didn't realize it would appear to be OSB. We are in the process of identifying a replacement for that product.

Contractors have moved their focus to the Commons and the kitchen and expect those to be operational right after Spring break. The crew is working on installation of kitchen equipment and connecting all of the systems in both rooms including lights, Audio/Visual, plumbing, HVAC etc.

Contractors have also turned their attention to remodeling of the old Commons area. The stage is demolished and the sunken area filled in preparation for new concrete floors. The new wall for the Science lab is in progress. Work also continues on the music room. Family and Consumer Sciences classroom will be constructed in June/July.

The project remains on schedule with completion estimated in late August- just in time for school to open. The project remains on budget as well.

We plan to refinish the gym floor this summer. We will be painting new graphics and the floor will look like new. 

There is concern about what changes will need to be made to the school if the Legislature passes SHB 1356 and we can no longer use Indians as our mascot. Throughout the design process, we predicted that this was a possibility and made plans to only include those items that could easily be changed if necessary. While we will need to rebrand if this measure passes, we will not need to eliminate display of artwork that is so important to our history. For example, the portrait of David Ike will be prominently displayed. Ike's seat in the bleachers and the Remington sculptures will still be in our school. Removal of our mascot does not change our history. Toledo exists because of the interaction and relationships of Cowlitz people with Europeans who came here. There is no legislation that can erase that fact and our tradition of honoring First Nations should be maintained.

Construction Update 2.17.21

 Classes continue in the new classroom wing and we've hosted our first athletic event in the gym. Work on the administration hallway continues with drywall and painting underway along with other finishing work. Drywall and mechanical is going into the Commons and kitchen and new restrooms are nearly complete. We are expecting to be into the new administration hall by mid March and the Commons and kitchen right after Spring Break. Work continues in the shops with installation of new sinks and plumbing and the return of equipment from storage. We're waiting for new woodshop equipment to be delivered in  June and will continue to use the existing equipment until then.

Here are some recent interior photos (courtesy Ross Parker, IBI):

The rear hallway pictured above connects the new classroom wing to the new Library. The mezzanine stairs are from the mechanical mezzanine above the classroom wing to the roof. This is a much safer access than the previous ships ladders.