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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
The 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 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 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.”
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