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Trumbull-Nelson earns a standing ovation from students and parents for their renovation work at Central and Saxtons River elementary schools. By Laura Jean Whitcomb

he comment—overheard at a school board meeting—meant a lot to Catherine Davignon: “I always heard it was a good school, but it looked so disheveled. Now it’s a school that kids can be proud to go to.”

Davignon, the Assistant Superintendent for Windham Northeast Supervisory Union, agrees completely. “Now the children have the buildings they deserve,” she says. Statements like this underscore Trumbull-Nelson’s mission of providing more than just a building of concrete, wood, and steel.

Central School	Saxtons River School
Frank J. Barrett, jr., of barrett archtiects in white river junction, vermont, served as the architect for both school projects.

Central Elementary School

In March 2006, Trumbull-Nelson started work on a contract for two schools in the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union. The first, Central Elementary School in Bellows Falls, Vermont, was built in 1954. The one-story, flat-roofed, brick veneer building required a renovation to bring it up to Code. “The building had gone so long without renovations that there were numerous safety issues,” says Davignon.

Bruce Summarsell, a 22-year Trumbull-Nelson employee and Site Superintendent on this project said, “We completely gutted the building, only leaving the masonry walls and the roof. We took the building down to the structure and put all new support systems into it.”

This extensive job in itself was made even more challenging by the rigid deadline—the start of school—and the presence of asbestos and a stubborn granite ledge. Todd Thompson, Project Manager for the Central Elementary School project said, “We encountered a substantial amount of asbestos insulation that could not be removed until the school year ended. The abatement shortened an already-tight schedule, but our field employees and subcontractors made an enormous commitment of overtime to keep the renovation on track.”

The massive job contained many parts. Walls were stripped down to the studs in the 25,000-square-foot space, before both mechanical and electrical systems as well as windows, doors, and floors were replaced. On busy days, about 80 to 90 people, including subcontractors, were on site, making coordination between the trades key to the project’s success.

“We kept a sequence through the building,” Summarsell describes. “You could look down the hall and see doors and frame installation, then painting, then flooring—and finish carpenters were right behind. Everyone was paying attention to and protecting each other’s work. All trades stepped up to become a part of the team.”

In the old building, prior to the renovation, there were no private rooms for occupational therapy, speech therapy, guidance counseling, tutoring, or even for a nurse’s office.

“There was no appropriate space for disciplinary conferences with students and parents. No privacy anywhere; no quiet space. The stage had a walled-off room, and that was where students received occupational or physical therapy,” said Davignon, who was the principal at Central for 14 years. The renovation provided space for tutoring, therapies, guidance counseling, as well as a nurse’s office.

“We can definitively state that we have upgraded to space that is better designed for the needs of the students,” says Sue Stack, Administrative Assistant for the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent. “Above all, for the first time in more than 20 years, we have made improvements that put us in compliance with all health and safety codes.”

Saxtons River Elementary School

The Saxtons River Elementary School in Saxtons River, Vermont, was built in 1915. “It is a classic old school house—a three-story brick building with wood floors and a slate roof,” describes Jim Odorisio, Trumbull-Nelson Project Manager.

In 1954 a cinderblock and concrete addition was built. The addition included a multipurpose room (used as a gym and cafeteria), two classrooms, and a small kitchen, but over the course of a half century this added space was no longer enough. The school had long since become overcrowded. “The principal and his assistant were using the storage closets for offices because of the need to satisfy the student population,” says Odorisio.

The project for Trumbull-Nelson was to renovate the 1915 schoolhouse and 1954 addition, and add a 12,000-square-foot addition to match the 1915 building. “The architect, F. Jay Barrett, wanted to make the 2006 addition look as close to the 1915 building as possible using modern-day construction techniques,” says Odorisio.

the renovations brought modernity to the classrooms but retained the classic look and feel of central elementary school, left, and saxtons river school, right.

The two existing buildings were gutted and, like Central Elementary School project, all new mechanical, electrical, heating, plumbing, sprinkler, and fire alarm systems were installed. Wood floors were re-finished, old plaster walls dry-walled and repainted, tin ceilings repaired, wood framing reinforced in the attic, and tile floors replaced. Finding replacement windows for the 1915 schoolhouse wasn’t easy—but possible, thanks to Eagle Brand windows. Harvey Industries storm windows were placed over the existing windows on the front of the building to improve energy efficiency and maintain historical accuracy. A small addition for a new kitchen was added to the 1954 building.

Historical buildings always present a challenge, and adding an elevator to Saxtons River Elementary was no small feat. “There was no way to get heavy equipment in the building,” says Project Superintendent Jon McKeon. “We removed part of the exterior wall to do much of the excavation work.”

“The success of this project is an example of the quality and value that can be achieved by a cooperative effort of the owner, architect, and contractor,” says Odorisio. “It was a team approach by everyone involved—school officials, Trumbull-Nelson, and designers—because everyone realized what a difficult project this was.”

On opening day, Central School held an assembly. “The principal asked all of the guys on site to come up to the front of the room. The children sang a song and the guys received a standing ovation from all of the parents and teachers,” says Thompson. “It was very moving for my guys on site. It meant a lot to them. No one had ever done that for us before.”

“The look of pride on that crew’s face was unbelievable,” says Davignon, who, for the first time in her 40-year career, was involved with two school projects.

“Trumbull-Nelson has been great; the two different teams were both very professional and extremely dedicated.”