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HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT notice upon walking through the front door of the newly renovated Grantham Village School: brightly painted walls, large windows filled with sunlight, a new art room, a new music room, a larger library, happy kids, happy teachers.
“Both my kids go there and we think it’s great!” says Grantham resident, Laura Jean Whitcomb. “Now there is room for speech and OT [occupational therapy], and kids have a place to go when they need a break, not just the ‘hallway’.”
A clean, friendly learning environment is an important part of a child’s education. Now that the renovations are complete, the School, which serves grades K–6, is set to welcome children through its newly installed doors for decades to come.
What’s New?
“We have about 17,000 square feet of new space, mostly in the primary education unit,” says Superintendent Keith Pfeifer. “The cafeteria was renovated and nearly tripled in space. We moved the library from one area to another and tripled that space as well. Now it’s a wonderful, bright learning space, very comfortable.”
Children attend art and music classes in rooms especially designated for those studies. Specialty teachers no longer have to keep their entire stock of supplies squeezed onto spare shelves and prepare for their classes in the closets and hallways.
“Most of the classrooms were gutted and renovated,” explains Pfeifer, who was hired as superintendent in July 2009. “New floors, new ceilings, new paint, new air ventilation. We added six inches of insulation in existing walls. It’s much tighter now.”
The School Board won’t know for sure until the end of the year, but Pfeifer believes that energy costs will be about the same for the new, larger building, as they were for the smaller structure. New doors and windows plus better insulation means much less waste, more savings for the district, and less of an environmental impact.
Why all these changes and additions? In 1983, 57 students attended classes at Grantham Village School. By the first expansion in 1995, the student population was at about 130. Temporary, detached classrooms were added in 2006 when the student body numbered 217, and the population is expected to keep increasing. Grantham, with its family-friendly way of life, idyllic views, and proximity to several major institutions, offers an ideal place to settle and raise children. Projected population trends show Grantham Village School serving close to 400 children by the year 2020. Now those children will have the space they need for a successful educational career.
Space wasn’t the only issue. Air quality, leaks, and electrical problems all ranked high on the list of concerns of both faculty and the school board. Now the air is clean, the leaks are plugged, and the electrical system is up to Code.
“Turn-around was a big thing,” says Pfeifer. “We couldn’t start work on some of the areas until the kids had left in June.” After a few weeks of hard work, the School was ready for the students at the start of school in August, 2009.
Change is in the Air
One of the major needs for renovation had to do with the air quality at Grantham Village School.
“For me, the best thing about the renovation project is knowing that it’s a very healthy building now,” says Leslie Brown, chairperson of the building committee. “It’s funny, because it’s the one thing you can’t see. It’s a gorgeous building, even the cabinetry is beautiful, but for me it’s the air quality that makes it.”
The building had undergone several renovations over the past few decades as the town struggled to keep up with the growing population. During the last addition in 2001, the self-contained air units that were installed in the cafeteria and some classrooms were so loud that teachers had trouble talking to their students over the noise. The air handlers were left off most of the time. When carbon dioxide levels were tested in classrooms, the cafeteria, and the gymnasium, nearly half of the levels were found to be over the New Hampshire limit, and over three quarters were over the national limit.
Air quality was noted as the primary concern of the teachers. Now, after the installation of a new ventilation system, they no longer have to wonder how their work environment is affecting their health. The air at Grantham Village School is healthy stuff.
Community Support
The question of who should pay for the education of children does not always have a clear answer. Parents? Grandparents? The federal government? State government? Townspeople? Often when a school board focuses on a need for improvements, whether it’s renovations of physical structures, contract negotiations for teachers and staff, or new programs, they fail to garner support from the citizens whose taxes will be raised to cover the costs.
While it might seem like the burden of payment should fall on the parents of the children benefiting from improvements in education, the residents of Grantham didn’t see it that way. “The annual district meeting was very well attended,” says Brown, who has been a school board member for four years. “We had quite a turnout for a positive vote.” The bond vote had to be passed by a majority of 60 percent. In fact, Grantham school district voted 75 percent in favor of the bond.
The community recognizes that the children who attend Grantham Village School are the future lawmakers, researchers, and doctors who will be taking care of the rest of us. They also know that better schools mean higher real estate values.
Perhaps the community responded so positively to the idea of taking care of its school because of the hard work of a few of its members. The Building Committee was made up of several citizens and a school board member, all volunteers, who worked tirelessly over several years to make the project happen. “Their efforts to build it right were very appreciated,” says Superintendent Keith Pfeifer. “One of the nicest things about the project is the cooperative effort between the designer, the builder, and the community.”
Through a series of informational meetings, school tours, mailings, and consistent updates on the school’s Web page, the building committee kept the citizens of Grantham informed at every step of the way during the five-year process.
Community support came in different forms as well. When parents dropped their children off in the mornings they could see trucks with the names of local companies printed on the side. Companies like Deck Mechanical from Grantham, Alexander Concrete, Dayco Roofing and Insulation, and Upper Valley Drywall all from the Upper Valley, and House of Windsor in Sunapee. A school for neighbors, built by neighbors.
When asked if she’s glad the renovation project is over, Brown laughs. “Well,” she says. “On budget and on time is a great place to be!”
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