Board approves contracts for JCHS renovation

This architectural drawing shows a new entrance to Jefferson City High School. Drawings for the two high school proposal were unveiled Monday night, Feb. 27, 2017.
This architectural drawing shows a new entrance to Jefferson City High School. Drawings for the two high school proposal were unveiled Monday night, Feb. 27, 2017.

Jefferson City Public Schools will increase publicity of upcoming renovation work at Jefferson City High School in order to remind the community that it essentially approved two new high schools last April.

The district's new second high school - Capital City High School - is under construction, and the existing JCHS is set to receive extensive renovation work beginning this summer.

"We can't forget about the excitement surrounding the new Jefferson City High School," JCPS Director of Secondary Education Gary Verslues said at the district's Board of Education meeting last week.

"We are planning to get some signage on the new Jefferson City High School campus - (so that) as people walk and drive by, they have that daily reminder about what's going to happen to that campus as well," he said.

"New" is a term school board candidate Ken Enloe brought up at the beginning of the meeting in open forum.

Enloe is one of four candidates for two available seats on the board. The three other candidates are incumbent board members Michael Couty and Pam Murray and newcomer Lindsey Rowden.

"I don't want us to lose the importance of that investment and the magnitude of that as we get wrapped up in the announcements and all the excitement of Capital City High School," Enloe said of reminding people of the work planned at JCHS.

He encouraged the board to lead the rest of the district and community in using the term "new" to describe JCHS.

"Words matter, and I think if we start using 'new' when we talk about both high schools, I believe we can build a sense of anticipation and excitement that will overcome some of the inherent 'old versus new,'" he added.

Verslues said the goal is to put up signage like that at the site of Capital City High School at the JCHS campus before the end of the current school year. The signs' location will be coordinated so as not to be in the way of contractors as they get to work this summer once school is out, he added.

The board approved some of those contracts at last week's meeting.

Holts Summit-based Asbestos Removal Services Inc. won the $567,000 low bid to do abatement work at JCHS and Nichols Career Center. Asbestos removal at Nichols accounts for $4,300 of the total. The only other bid was from Springfield-based Gerken Environmental Enterprises.

Asbestos is a fireproof mineral once used in products including building materials, especially to insulate pipes and ceilings. If disturbed or damaged, however, the fine asbestos mineral fibers can become airborne and cause severe lung diseases over time if inhaled.

The Columbia office of Terracon Consultants Inc. won the $67,913.20 low bid to monitor and clear air during the asbestos abatement work. The two other bids were from companies in St. Louis.

An air sampling technician will "monitor the air outside containment," including "exterior visual observations of containment barriers and collection of air samples at random locations outside containment barriers," according to the contract. Terracon's oversight for the asbestos removal will ensure compliance with state and federal law.

The Architects Alliance Principal Architect Cary Gampher said last month that work at JCHS this summer will focus primarily on asbestos abatement and renovation on the east side of the building, starting from the third floor down.

Demolition of that area will create space for classrooms to serve students while other parts of the building are being worked on, Gampher said. Mobile unit classrooms on the north side will serve the same purpose.

The board approved a $71,891 contract with Jefferson City-based Central Missouri Professional Services Inc. for construction survey, inspection and testing at JCHS. The contract includes earth, concrete and asphalt work. A similar $329,941 contract with CMPS was approved for work at Capital City High School.

The board also approved a $154,000 fixed-fee contract amendment to the agreement between the district and Jefferson City-based The Architects Alliance to cover low-voltage systems design services for both high schools - of which, JCHS costs $70,500.

The category of low voltage describes internet infrastructure, classroom audio-visual systems, electronic security video surveillance and access control systems, intercom and clock systems, and AV systems for gyms, theaters and commons.