Proposition H Construction Begins in Hazelwood School District
Construction is underway in the Hazelwood School District, thanks to the passage last fall of Proposition H, a $120 million, no-tax-rate-increase bond issue for facility updates.
Proposition H marks the third phase of Hazelwood 1st, a public engagement process involving district parents, community and business leaders that began in 2003.
According to Tom Mangogna, the District’s construction project manager, new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, electrical and fire alarm upgrades comprise at least 50 percent of the projects funded by the bond issue.
Work began in June at five elementary schools:
- Barrington
- Cold Water
- Garrett
- Townsend
- Walker
At Barrington, the district is currently removing chalkboards and replacing them with marker boards, Mangogna said.
In addition, Cold Water and Garrett are undergoing chalkboard and asbestos floor tile removal, and installation of marker boards.
At Townsend and Walker, the district is removing old HVAC systems and replacing them with new systems.
Amid the construction at Townsend and Walker, Mangogna said new data and voice lines for computers and telephones are being installed and older parts of the buildings’ fire alarm systems are being replaced to match those added during the previous construction phase.
“The construction crews are making good progress,” said Mangogna in a HSD statement. “I’m pleased with the systems we are getting.
"The Hazelwood School District will be very well served by these systems. For example, each room’s HVAC will be able to be independently controlled.”
He said other benefits to this new construction will be lowered operational and maintenance costs.
Mangogna added that he is hopeful that elevator construction will start in mid-July and three additional school elevator projects will begin in the near future. Bid awards were approved earlier this month for those projects.
He said that other projects funded by the bond issue, such as new libraries at Hazelwood East and West high schools, and new science, technology, engineering and math labs (STEM labs) at all three high schools, are projected to begin Spring 2012.
