.
Feedback

As School Opens, Construction Work to Continue

Mill Valley School District officials say that some aspects of the campus overhauls, particularly at Strawberry Point, Park and Edna Maguire elementary schools, will run well into the school year.

In 1996, the was forced to delay the start of school for  students by one week because the campus simply wasn't ready.

Despite a summer in which it , the district won't be doing that in 2012. , as planned.

District officials say each of the schools are ready for students, including the as that school gets between now and the fall of 2013. But they've acknowledged that some of the work will continue in the evenings and on weekends well into the school year and as late as January 2013.

"We will absolutely be ready for students to arrive at safe and accessible campuses on Monday, but there will be some work being done at schools into January," Tim Ryan, the district's director of maintenance and operations, told the school board at its Aug. 30 meeting.

The biggest impact on the early part of the school year will be on teachers preparing for Back to School Night on Sept. 19. Teachers were only able to get access to the campuses late last week, leaving them a significantly shorter window than usual to get their classrooms looking good.

For Mill Valley Middle and Tam Valley Elementary schools, the unfinished work is relatively minor. At the Middle School, for instance, benches for students to use to change for physical education won't be ready - but won't be needed - until late September, Ryan said. 

The ongoing work at the other three schools is listed below:

Park School

  • The dooors leading outside at the end of each wing won't arrive until Sept. 12.
  • Pedestrian access will be limited on select areas of the campus at times.
  • Permanent handrails installed before Oct. 1.
  • Some interior and exterior finish, such as trim work, painting and stair treads will be underway through September 17.
  • The new configuration of the library annex will be on going for the first week of school.
  • Clocks and bells may not be functional until the 2nd week of school.
  • The blacktop slurry seal and the the new striping in place will be completed on weekends by Oct. 1, depending on weather.
  • Planting will continue until Oct. 1.
  • The accessible path of travel into the garden will not be complete until Oct. 1.
  • Some ceiling fans won't be installed until Oct. 1.
  • Boiler Thermostatic controls may not be functioning until Oct. 1.
  • Cabinets in teacher's workroom may not be installed until Oct. 1.
  • Kickball back stop at Elm Street will not be installed until Nov. 1.
  • Interior stair treads may not be installed until Nov. 1.
  • Basketball hoops at the annex playground will not be complete until Nov. 1.
  • The wood floors in the classrooms and multi-purpose room will be clean, but not refinished. They will be refinished over the Winter Break.

Strawberry Point School

  • Pedestrian access will be limited on select areas of the campus at times.
  • Temporary handrails may be installed, with permanent installation before October 1st.
  • Some interior and exterior finish, such as trim work, painting and stair treads will be underway through Sept. 17.
  • Clocks and bells may not be functional until the 2nd week of school.
  • Temporary toilet partitions will be installed in the main building in the student's restroom. Permanent toilet partitions will be installed by Oct. 1.
  • Covered walkways and related paving won't be in place until Oct. 1.
  • The blacktop slurry seal and the new striping will be completed on weekends by Oct. 1, depending on weather.
  • Fencing will not be complete until Oct. 1.
  • Planting will continue until Oct. 1.
  • The accessible path of travel into the garden will not be complete until Oct. 1.
  • New basketball standards and hoop will be installed by Nov. 1.
  • In the main building select areas that were to receive new vinyl floors will not be complete. Those areas will open school with exposed concrete. Complete installation of the flooring will not be complete until Nov. 1.

Edna Maguire

  • Interior and exterior finish like trim work and painting will run through Sept. 17.
  • Clocks and bells may not work until the second week of school.
  • Striping at playgrounds and parking lot will be complete before September 24th.
  • The installation of tetherball, dropshot and basketball hoops will run through Sept. 17.
  • The seal coat on the asphalt play area near the PTA Garden will be finished Oct. 1.
  • There will be limited pedestrian access on certain parts of the campus at times. 

Here's what else is happening on Mill Valley Patch:

For local schools news like this wherever you go, follow us! And don't forget to sign up for our daily e-newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

"Like" us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for the daily Mill Valley Patch newsletter | Start a blog

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from Mill Valley Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Loading comments ...
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Bill Hall May 24, 2013 at 08:59 am
Well Mister Hat, I was asking a question that people who grew up here and remember the parades ofRead More Mill Valley still ask a lot. If that's complaining to you, sorry. There's many good things to this parade, the point is it is memorial Day , and many of the east coast newbies have been trying water down that part. I agree with you about the peace veterans, I always honk when I see them at the redwoods. Unfortunately you picked a battle with them and tried to keep them out of the parade, They end up separate in the back. Just because they included a list of Palestinians that were killed the week before with American bombs that we Tax payers give to Israel in support of an occupation. I believe your words were, " what the hell do Palestinians have to do with memorial day, " I doubt your politics would allow you to understand. I agree with you Mister Hat, it will be great when there's no war, but I'll always honor those who allowed me my freedom. Hopefully there will be a day when all people will live free of oppression, check points, and forced poverty. You are also right, many of us who grew up in Mill Valley go else where on this day to places that feel more like home. The fashion police was fun the first year, but now it's obnoxious and pretentious. As head Honcho you've turned it into more of a look at me, aren't I special parade. Mill Valley has an entitlement issue that you promote, it's shallow and pretentious. I just wish that the City would take over the Parade so you couldn't dictate your New York views on it. Good Day Mr. Hat
Erma Murphy May 23, 2013 at 11:57 am
Well said Larry!
Larry the Hat Lautzker May 23, 2013 at 09:22 am
Every year we get a handful of folks who complain about something they don't like about the parade.Read More In this case, I could take a great deal of time to explain that most veterans go to the Civic Center or Presidio for a more tradition Memorial Day event. Fortunately or however by design, Mill Valley is NOT stuck in tradition. If I may speak as a community (as I see it), we all in our own way celebrate Memorial Day. I don't believe anyone takes for granted our Grand Parents, Fathers, Sons or Daughters who gave their lives so we could grow up in a better world filled with love, compassion and protecting our right to live in a free society. So we Celebrate Mill Valley on Memorial Day, ever mindful of our countries history. We celebrate in our own way. With a great Pancake breakfast that benefits the Volunteer Fire Dept. Then we go the Parade where all sorts and sizes of floats, people and organizations get to strut their stuff, ever reminding us how blessed we are to live in this great little town. Next the celebration continues, it's off to the KIDDO Carnival and Concert on the Green at the Community Center (one of the finest in the Nation) that benefits Music, Art and many other PUBLIC school programs. We inherited the right to celebrate Memorial Day consistent (I believe)with what our forefathers envisioned and fought for. A healthy and free society, where people work and play together to make our cities, towns, country and world a better place. Imagine a world where there are NO war veterans, I like the sound of a world filled with Peace veterans. That's what Memorial Day is for me and in Mill Valley we have a Great Party. Hope to see you there! Larry the Hat, Head Honcho 'I Love a Parade Committee' PS. Anyone can apply to be in the Parade or reach out to the I Love a Parade Committee to bring to light their concerns and hopefully with constructive ideas (not just complaining). If that's not enough, have your own entry that reflects what you want to happen in the parade. If you think complaining makes a difference, You are FREE to do that.
Old Mill Park on Saturday afternoon
Thrasy Bulus May 21, 2013 at 01:33 pm
I've also noticed large numbers of people out and about enjoying the warm weather.
Rico May 24, 2013 at 10:26 am
It would have to be done over a period of time, like a few months to create something really niceRead More and complex. As each stage is completed, the artists could sprinkle glass beads on the wet paint, that is how centerlines on the streets are reflectorized. The end result would be so dazzling and gorgeous that nobody would want to run over the artwork. Also, this would be a uniquely beautiful public works project that would really capture the artistic spirit of Mill Valley, and possibly put Mill Valley on record as having the hippest traffic circle in the world. I have some great designs that I would be willing to project onto the circle for the layout.
Rico May 24, 2013 at 10:13 am
I have an idea, how about we organize a bunch of artists to paint a beautiful psychedelic mandala inRead More the in the circle. It could be done with stencils and spray paint, and also painted by hand with brushes. Of course it should be done to a master outline.
Rico May 23, 2013 at 04:55 pm
Reply to ScottRAB, There were never any traffic signals or STOP signs at that intersection, thatRead More intersection does not warrant any such control. Actually for traffic using Molino going to Old Mill, there is no delay with the circle, but traffic coming down from Molino to Cascade Dr. and from Cascade to Old Mill there is a delay and I doubt anyone pays any attention to the painted circle anyway, but the new painted crosswalk on Old Mill is a good idea, and so is the new Yield sign on Cascade Dr. Those 2 things are all that is really needed. Note that the Yield sign is a regulatory sign, and the other circle sign is only an advisory sign. According to the M.U.T.C.D, shall, should and may are the basic description of the classes of signs. A regulatory sign is mandatory or shall, like a STOP or a YIELD sign and is red and black, a warning sign or should sign is black on yellow, like when you see an arrow with a 25, that means it is not illegal to go faster than 25 mph but it is advised. Then you have guide signs (black on white) like the circle sign which are guide signs, so that sign means nothing if a motorist disregards it, which most all people do anyway. Mill Valley is not a big congested city in Europe, and that intersection is not even in a high volume-high speed location such as other intersections in town. Sorry for the above 2 posts, when posting on the Patch I have to remember never to hit the enter button, no more paragraphs. Perhaps this is to discourage long posts, and by the way, a question to the Patch editors, is there a limit to the number of characters when posting on the new Patch ?