Supervisor wants locker rooms fixed

Bath County school superintendent Dr. David Smith (gesturing) talks about the new floor recently completed in the old gym at Bath County High School with members of the school board and board of supervisors Monday night. Members of both boards took a tour of the recently-renovated high school before a joint meeting. (Recorder photo by Mike Bollinger) WARM SPRINGS — Supervisor Jon Trees wants repairs to the locker rooms at Bath County High School, and he doesn't believe it will take a $457,000 renovation project to do it.

"I saw the request in the CIP (capital improvement projects) for $457,000 to renovate the locker rooms, and right after the renovation project that was just completed; it got my attention," Trees said. "I think everybody will agree we don't have $457.000 to spend on renovation of a locker room."

According to the capital improvement request submitted by the school system, the locker room renovation was not included in the BCHS renovation project due to a lack of funding. The proposed scope of work would include improved ventilation to meet air quality standards, replacing plumbing for toilets, showers and sinks, replacing toilet partitions, improving lighting for safety and visibility, ceiling replacement and handicapped access.

A report from Kinsey, Shane and Associates architects of Salem prepared in 2005 shows the locker room areas have a total of 3,600 square feet of space, and the cost to renovate would be $82.50 per square foot for a total of $297,000. In addition, the cost for air quality testing at that time was estimated at $65,340.

The architectural firm estimated a 25 percent cost increase from 2005 until now, thus the $457,000 figure.

Trees made a presentation at a joint meeting of the board of supervisors and school board Monday at BCHS, and cited the need to repair or replace stair treads, lights, ceiling tiles and the tracks holding them in place and plumbing work on sinks, toilets and showers as well as painting.

In the team room located in the school basement, Trees said he found only half the urinals in the bathrooms to be operational and five of 12 showers not working in the varsity room and two of nine not working in the junior varsity area.

In the boys' locker room in the atrium area adjacent to the entrance of the new gym, Trees said only five of 10 showers were working and doors to the toilet stalls were damaged. The damaged doors have been discussed at previous school board meetings, and have been determined to be the result of vandalism by students.

The basement locker rooms are primarily used for football, while the ones in the atrium area are used for physical education and for team dressing rooms for other sports.

"What we have seen didn't happen overnight. Why have these locker rooms not been maintained? I suggest you (school board) make these repairs, and make them immediately," Trees said.

Trees said he believes there is sufficient money in the school system's maintenance budget for repairs. "I would be amazed if everything I talked about couldn't be fixed for $5,000," he said.

As of Friday, Trees said there was $195,530 remaining in the school maintenance budget for the third quarter. Superintendent Dr. David Smith said the maintenance money not only pays for maintenance work, but also for heating oil and fuel.

Supervisor Stuart Hall addressed the damage to the stall doors. "Once you get this repaired, there will have to be some discipline somewhere to keep this from happening," he said.

"I am far more concerned with this facility being maintained than I am with the discipline," Trees said.

Smith said school officials have some idea who may be causing the damage, but have not been able to find out for sure. Also, Smith said, regulations prohibit the placement of security cameras in locker room areas.

"This didn't reach the priority list for the renovation, because there were other things in much worse condition. I want to remind you we have one maintenance director for three schools and two other facilities. He has spent the past two and a half weeks diagnosing a problem with a sewer line (at BCHS). We could see about getting some of this (locker room) work contracted out," Smith said.

That suggestion did not sit well with Trees.

"I beg your pardon. That man (maintenance director Mark Cook) is capable of doing that. I expect those toilets to be fixed and kids to be able to take showers. He can get the ceiling tiles and fix that when he can. There is no reason to contract any of it," he said.

"If you want him to ignore everything else in the division, he can do it," Smith said.

"We are contracting entirely too much stuff out and spending too much money. I am convinced between Mr. Jenkins (industrial maintenance and electrical and cabling classes) you can do it and only buy the materials," Trees said.

Hall referred to surplus money the school board has spent recently at the end of the year. "There have been hundreds of thousands of dollars spent at the end of the year, and maintenance on these buildings has been left to go to pot. I bet there has been close to $1 million spent at the end of years in June," he said.

"We brought the issue up, now it's up to the school board to take it and run," said supervisors chairman Percy Nowlin.

School board members agreed the work needed to be done. No action was taken on Trees' request.