Construction progresses at Kyrene district office complex
Special to the Independent/Arianna Grainey
Kyrene School District CFO Chris Herrmann and Director of Facilities Mason Meade gave an update at the governing board's Nov. 28 meeting about construction at the district office complex.
Kyrene School District Governing Board recently heard from district officials about how the improvements at the district’s office complex have been going since the board authorized the first phase of construction in January.
Kyrene’s District Office Complex contains the district office building, constructed in 1989, and its transportation and facilities building was constructed later in 1986. Since then, no major interior repairs, renovations or replacements have been made.
Some exterior improvements were made in 2021, and additional areas were to be addressed but were stalled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the Nov. 28 governing board meeting, board members received a presentation from district Chief Financial Officer Chris Herrmann and Director of Facilities Mason Meade about how Phase 1 at the complex has progressed.
“Because we’ve fallen so far behind in maintaining this complex in the aggregate, the amount of time and money that’s needed to address these deficiencies makes it impossible to do all at once, so we’re looking at a multi-year approach on how to do that,” Herrmann said.
Phase 1 construction began this spring, and it is on schedule to be completed by late December.
The scope of the first construction phase entails improvements to building safety and security, HVAC systems, fire suppression systems, lighting, technology, work stations, furniture and parking surfaces.
Specifically, this scope of work targeted the district office’s front entrance, lobby, board room, conference room, restrooms, talent management, the west side of the second floor, first and second-floor bathrooms and the transportation and facilities parking lot.
Herrmann stated that Phase 1 is on time and within the allocated budget and that the second construction phase will be brought to the board for approval at its Dec. 12 meeting.
Phase 2 will continue the same scope of work but in the technology, finance and academic equity and excellence offices, training rooms, break room, the remaining first-floor restrooms, the Ben Furlong parking lot, the community education building and Warehouse 2.
“This schedule is based on a 10-month duration… anticipated construction to begin late December of 2023 or early January of 2024 and would extend into October 2024,” Meade said.
Phase 2 of construction is expected to begin either late December or early 2024. (Courtesy Kyrene School District)
Courtesy Kyrene School District
Phase 3 is estimated to take place in the fall or winter of 2024, continuing the same scope of work of the first two phases. This will include transportation and facilities and the remaining complex buildings.
In the following discussion with the board members, Board President Kevin Walsh asked how the work has gone with the district’s contractor and how the work continues to progress. Meade answered that things have been going smoothly, with any surprises handled efficiently.
“There’s a lot of things we’ve learned about our building through Phase 1 that we didn’t know, since none of us were around when it was constructed, so it’s been a very good process so far,” he said.
The board also asked about the staff members who have been relocated because of the construction. Meade explained that they have worked to ensure minimal disruption to their daily operations as they continue with the improvements.
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Meet Caroline Caroline Yu joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2020 as a summer intern covering Scottsdale. As an intern, she continued her coverage of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Tempe. After graduating in 2022, Caroline became a full-time reporter for Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. She is currently reporting for the Tempe market.
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“Because we’ve fallen so far behind in maintaining this complex in the aggregate, the amount of time and money that’s needed to address these deficiencies makes it impossible to do all at once, so we’re looking at a multi-year approach on how to do that,” Herrmann said.
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