Litchfield Elementary district see millions in summer upgrades as energy work nears completion

By Stacy Mantle
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Litchfield Elementary School District completed a slate of summer construction and maintenance projects ranging from new fire alarm systems and remodeled restrooms to classroom additions, while a districtwide energy project is expected to wrap up in early 2027. 

Dr. Erik Stone, assistant superintendent of operations, and Dan Ensign, director of construction, presented the summer facilities update to the governing board on Sept 8. The projects were framed around maintaining aging campuses, improving safety and extending the useful life of district facilities. 

"We'd like to just present the summer projects that went on throughout the district," Stone told the board, highlighting what he called "stewardship of our finances" and work to ensure district buildings are "good for kids every day". 

Fire alarm replacements

Among the largest maintenance projects were complete fire alarm replacements at Corte Sierra Elementary, Wigwam Creek Middle School, Western Sky Middle School and Verrado Middle School. Each replacement cost approximately $200,000. 

"This was a complete rewire of the full system, so pulling all the old stuff, putting all brand new stuff in," Stone said. 

The older systems were replaced with voice-evacuation systems meeting current fire-code requirements. Stone said the work consumed virtually the entire summer construction window. 

Restroom and classroom overhauls

The district also completed a $1.34 million overhaul of restrooms at Western Sky Middle School. The work included a complete rebuilding of student restrooms in several buildings and the gym lobby, along with new fixtures, partitions and accessories in locker rooms and updates to staff restrooms. Portions of the campus date to 1991.

At Palm Valley Elementary, the district completed nine modular classrooms intended for middle-school grade levels, two multi-stall restrooms and a teacher workroom at a cost of about $3.82 million. 

Other projects

Other summer work included a PTA-sponsored ampitheater project at Belen Solo Elementary. The $53,041 project added courtyard steps and a platform with wheelchair-accessible spaces. 

At Dreaming Summit Elementary, crews resealed and restriped the south parking lot and bus lane for $44,964. The slurry seal was intended to fill developing cracks and extend the life of the asphalt. 

An unexpected sewer-line failure at Verrado Middle School required crews to use a camera to locate the problem, cut through concrete and repair cast-iron pipe in the 600 building. The project costs $28,621. 

Smaller improvements included replacing old carpet in Western Sky's PE coaches offices with polished concrete and new cove base for $1,943. Similar work in the former large band room at L. Thomas Heck Middle School cost $11,849.94 as the district prepares that area for technology staff and vendor meetings. 

Energy project nearing finish line

The district's broader energy-efficiency project is also approaching completion. 

Solar panels have been installed throughout the district, building-envelope work is complete and air-conditioning units 15 years or older have been replaced. The district is continuing work on energy-management-system controllers and thermostats while LED lighting upgraders have been completed. 

Stone said more than 500 air-conditioning units have been replaced as part of the work. 

The project originally was to finish in December, but is now expected to reach final completion in February 2027. 

"I would tell you that would be a couple of months behind," Stone said when asked about the revised schedule. "The anticipated completion date was this December, so it's not too far off from it."

He said the additional time would allow crews to complete final inspections and make sure equipment, such as thermostats, was not overlooked. 

The district said the improvements are intended not only to modernize campuses, but also to reduce future maintenance needs. The presentation noted that new fire alarms improve safety, resurfacing can extend parking lot life and polished concrete requires less maintenance, freeing money for other campus needs. 

Editor’s note:   A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Stacy Mantle
Education Solutions Reporter

smantle@iniusa.org

Meet Stacy
Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.

Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.

Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!

Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.

Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.