Edna Maguire Overhaul, Park and Strawberry Projects on Track

A construction project, even when it occurs on property belonging to a public agency, is not a safe place for adults, children and pets.

While that may seem like an obvious statement, officials say they continue to be troubled by how many residents haven’t grasped that concept this summer with the closure of the campus, which is in the midst of an .

Tall chain-link fences around most of the campus entryways haven’t deterred people from moving them or pushing them down to gain access to the campus as a short cut to the streets just north of it or to simply walk their dogs, according to Tim Ryan, the district’s director of maintenance and operations.

Someone kicked off plywood blocking access at the north end of the campus recently, and an  on July 19, with police called to the scene for the latter incident.

“It’s just not a safe environment for people to be walking around in,” Ryan said. “We need to increase the awareness of our community that the construction is happening and that for their safety, they must remain outside the construction fencing."

Despite the disruptions, Ryan said the Edna Maguire project remains on track, with 12 temporary classrooms and four temporary restrooms being installed this week in plenty of time for the Sept. 10 arrival of students for the 2012-2013 school year. The modular buildings are being rented form Mobile Modular, which also rented temporary classrooms to Tam High during its renovation.

Most of the district's work to date has focused on demolition, tearing down buildings, removing trees and bushes and generally clearing the campus for the school's total reconstruction.

District officials have emphasized that most of the old materials from buildings and parking lots are being diverted from the Redwood Landfill and instead being sent to a variety of recycling centers. The materials are being sorted into the basic elements of wood, metal and concrete, and those materials are then sent to such places as Urban Ore in Berkeley, Sprouts Classrooms and Habitat for Humanity ReStore and sold through Interschola on eBay. The district is also keeping some of the materials to reuse them at some of its other schools.

While the district and contractor Overaa Construction are in the midst of the Edna overhaul, both the Marin Municipal Water District and PG&E are doing their own upgrades on the campus. MMWD is from running right through the Edna campus, while . The latter project also involves expanding from a 10-inch pipe to a 12-inch one in anticipation of increased demand for capacity, according to PG&E officials. 

The interim campus is expected to be finished within the next two weeks, with teachers able to begin working there on their first official work day of Sept. 5. Students return to school Sept. 10.

District officials expected to be completely finished with the Edna Maguire project by Jan. 1, 2014.

The scope of the Park and Strawberry Point projects were reduced in June to account for  provided by contractors, as was the second phase of the modernization work at Tam Valley Elementary School. The budgets for those three were scaled back to get the $8.2 million estimate for those projects closer to the district’s $4.6 million budget, Ryan said.

Those reductions include parking lot upgrades and lunchtime shade structures at Park, covered walkways and bike and pedestrian improvements at Tam Valley and new kitchens and bathrooms at Strawberry Point. Turf around play structures at Park and Strawberry Point have also been eliminated. Tam Valley took the biggest hit, with the original $1.5 million second phase of work being trimmed to a mere $250,000.

Most of the projects are being paid for by Measure C, the $59.8 million bond voters approved in 2009 for overhauls at four elementary schools and the complete reconstruction of Edna Maguire. The district has dipped into its Fund 40, which contains the proceeds from the portion of the land sold to the city of Mill Valley to build the and can be used for capital improvements only, for the installation of new modular classrooms at , Ryan said.

Here's a list of the work being done on each campus for the week of July 30:

Edna Maguire

• PG&E Installation of new 12" Gas Line
• Demolition of existing classroom buildings ongoing
• Fine grading at Interim Housing pads
• Place base rock and compact at Interim Housing pads
• Install underground utilities at Interim Housing
• Complete electrical and plumbing work at Alto Field portable classrooms
• Delivery of 2nd phase of portable classrooms for starts on Aug. 1
• Continue off haul of debris for recycling

See the latest Edna Maguire School photos

Park School 

• Complete mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough installation
• Continue framing new structures
• Continue construction of bathroom addition
• Begin installation of sheet rock
• Complete installation of fire sprinklers
• Begin installation of data cabling
• Continue site work at Elm Street entrance

See the latest Park School photos

Strawberry Point School

• Framing at entry canopy
• Plumbing rough-in completion
• Continued fire alarm and electrical cabling
• Exterior painting ongoing
• Final concrete pours
• Interior drywall installations
• Roof patching
• County Safe Routes To Schools East Strawberry Dr. project continues

See the latest Strawberry Point School photos