Surprises yield a slight delay in completion of GHS gym
As anyone who has done renovations in an historic town knows, digging up the ground can yield some pre-building code surprises. In the case of Greenville High School’s gymnasium building repairs, this means a few unforeseen glitches.
The estimated timeline for completion of the gym project is still December — but now toward the end of the month.
Last spring’s storms rendered the gym dangerous due to mold at the end of the last school year.
Plumas Unified School District Superintendent Terry Oestreich reported to the school board that the Greenville gym passed lead testing on the exterior and interior, and final results on mold air sampling passed inspection as well.
“Initial testing shows that the main gym is clear, and we have confirmed air in old weight room area, concessions, and a visual clearance of the crawlspace,” said Oestreich.
As remediation for the excessive moisture under the building was underway, it was discovered that there was not any foundation in place on which to attach new flooring.
“This pour in place, or “rat slab,” will need to be completed before flooring installation can occur,” said Oestreich. The original floor was attached directly to diagonal sheathing. The board at its Oct. 11 meeting approved the added change of pouring a foundation.
Other discoveries at the site included previously unknown utility lines. While working on drainage and site repair through trenching, multiple utility lines were discovered that neither the district nor engineer knew were there. The contractor, MCI, “was able to dig trenching without disturbing any of the lines and will be working around them. In order to help with the tie in of them all, a concrete junction box will be installed where they all converge,” said Oestreich.
Four sewer cleanouts were also found and now have been covered so that they can be more easily located in the future.
Reinforced concrete piping will be installed under the asphalt in the parking area so that heavy vehicles will not collapse lines.
According to principal Traci Cockerill, “We foresee only basketball [being] affected at this time. We are looking into purchasing (or borrowing) some portable basketball hoops that we will use in the multipurpose room.”
Athletic Director Mike Chelotti is in contact with other schools attempting to coordinate gym time at other sites, such as Chester, Quincy or FRC for practices.
“Chelotti has already been in contact with other schools. We plan to make arrangements so we can stick as close to the original schedule,” according to Cockerill.
“It has been a testimony to our coaches and athletic director, especially Dan Brown with girls’ volleyball, that we haven’t canceled any sports and that they have helped to make the most out of an inconvenient situation,” said Cockerill.
On a bright note, the new weight room has been completed. Mat flooring was installed Oct. 9. The room was painted just prior to the renovations and equipment will be moved into it this week.
“We are designing some ‘mural-type’ art for the walls,” said Cockerill. Cockerill said she plans on having an official grand opening for the weight room when completed.
