Summer construction projects underway at Prince William County schools

Construction is already underway on the addition and changes to Parkside Middle School in Manassas. With school out for the summer, crews are already hard at work on the project that will increase the size of the school by a net of 16 classrooms, add a new front office, relocate the guidance offices and renovate the school’s media center, said Dee Thompson, supervisor of construction for the school division.

Thompson said he uses the term “net” when referring to the classroom increase because, “some areas are repurposed during the project,” such as existing classrooms that may be repurposed as passageways between the exiting building and additions.

The project is being completed in phases, he said.

Work that is begun this summer will be completed to an extent that will allow the building to be occupied for the 2013-14 school year. The project will then be completed during the summer of 2014.

Parkside’s addition and renewal is being completed by Pavone Construction, the same company that built the Kelly Leadership Center and is currently building the Nokesville K-8 school, Thompson said. The cost of the project is $8.1 million, he said.

Changes to Loch Lomond Elementary School will be completed this summer after being underway since the spring of 2012. The school will net four classrooms and an activity room. A renovation of the office area there is also part of the project, Thompson said. Loch Lomond is located at 7902 Augusta Road in Manassas.

The changes to Loch Lomond, along with additions to Sinclair Elementary School, nearing completion, and West Gate, Sudley and Mullen elementary schools, recently completed, equal approximately the size of one elementary school.

Thompson said last year. “The public didn’t want an elementary school built on the property of Stonewall Middle School,” he said. “So it was decided to put additions onto these five existing schools.

The additions were all scheduled to be completed by September of 2013, but those at Mullen, Sudley and West Gate, along with additions to Penn Elementary, Benton and Potomac middle schools and Potomac High School, were all completed ahead of schedule, the school division’s website indicates.

Loch Lomond’s project is being handled by RJ Crowley, Inc. of Laurel, Maryland and will cost $8.58 million. Costs quoted here are ‘construction contract costs” and do not include miscellaneous costs and “loose furniture and equipment,” Thompson said.

River Oaks Elementary School in Woodbridge is embarking on the first of a two-summer addition and renewal project. To facilitate work on the building, the school’s office will move to Williams Elementary School, also in Woodbridge, for the summer.

River Oaks will gain a net of seven classrooms and an activity room, Thompson said, at a cost of $5.47 million, Thompson said.

School renewals, which are scheduled for each division building every 25 years, are also underway at Dumfries Elementary School and Potomac High School, both in Dumfries.

The Dumfries project, being undertaken by Biscayne Contractors, Inc., will add an activity room and a defined security entrance to the building.

School renewal, for every building, includes painting the entire building, new HVAC equipment, flooring, casework, marker boards and generally bringing the building up to current standards, Thompson explained.

The cost of the Dumfries project is approximately 5.34 million, he said.

Potomac High School is in the final summer of its renewal, which this summer will focus on the kitchen and cafeteria areas, as well as the repaving of parking lots and drive lanes.

Also scheduled for this summer are full auditorium renovations at both Gar-Field and Woodbridge High Schools, Thompson said, that were scheduled to begin mid-June.

The two projects, both under the direction of R.J. Crowley Construction, will include new seats, ceilings, sound systems, acoustics, stage curtails, paint, cosmetics and lighting, Thompson said, at a total cost of some $2.6 million.

Also underway this summer are projects at Battlefield, Brentsville and Forest Park high schools aimed at bringing the buildings into compliance under Title IX. Title IX is the federal statute that mandates equality of sports facilities, Thompson explained.

“This is for existing facilities,” Thompson said. “The new ones start out [in compliance].

The Title IX projects have been underway for the past several years, Thompson said, with this being the final summer.

“Now we’re into the easier stuff,” Thompson said. “The major projects have already been completed [during earlier summers].

At Battlefield, renewal of the girls’ team room began last month, with construction of press boxes on softball fields set to start in July and be completed by October. Construction of press boxes on softball and baseball fields and a concession storage building will begin in June and is expected to be completed by November.

The girls’ team room at Forest Park is also undergoing renewal this summer.

The Office of Facilities Services, parent department to Construction, has added links to a number of helpful schedules and other documents on its website at http://www.facilitiesservices.departments.pwcs.edu Inclu.ded are a list of 2013 summer projects, changes to portable classroom locations for 2013-2014 and a scheduled of renovations and renewals from FY 2013-14.