WEYBURN - A number of upgrades, repairs and improvements were made to the schools in the Holy Family school division over the summer.
The board of trustees were given a summary of the upgrades made at each school, along with photos of what was done, by facilities and transportation manager Mike Kaip.
At St. Olivier School in Radville, the improvements included converting the lighting in the gym to LED, along bringing in a portable stage.
Prior to this, the school had to use the stage at the Radville Regional High School for concerts or productions, such as the annual Christmas program.
In addition, a portion of the playground had the bare dirt replaced with crushed asphalt, which was graded and sloped for better drainage to prevent the play area from becoming a mudhole after a rainfall.
At St. Michael School in Weyburn, the front apron for the entrance to the school was replaced with new cement.
“I’m pretty happy with how this turned out for us,” said Kaip, noting it was widened to the sign and the flagpole, and was strengthened with new rebar to prevent it from lifting or shifting with the change of seasons.
He noted that there was a trip hazard at times, with the concrete lifting by as much as three inches with frost upheaval.
In addition, there was landscaping to fix areas that would become very muddy, such as around the basketball nets, with crushed gravel, and new fencing on the north side of the playground, and some yet to be installed on the south side.
Yet to come will be new bookshelves, which will be built and installed by around the end of September, said Kaip.
At St. Mary’s in Estevan, pea gravel was added to the playground to ensure it’s always usable, noting a heavy rain would sometimes flood the area and make it inaccessible.
The Pre-kindergarten entrance will be redone, but it has been delayed, and a new flagpole is on order, to arrive by about mid-October.
At Sacred Heart, the front pad cement was replaced and sloped away from the school for better drainage.
In the lab area, the countertops were redone, and the old gas lines for the former science lab were taken out.
In one room, there had been damage to the ceiling by a piece of drywall that dropped, and a contractor was able to go up and make the repairs to the area.
In addition, some front yard landscaping was done, and a bathroom renovation is underway, with eight individual stalls to be built and six sinks to be added, part of a new design being used in schools such as in Legacy Park in Weyburn.
Asked how the projects went budget-wise, Kaip noted some of the work were done under budget using local contractors, such as the concrete work at St. Michael, while other repairs were over budget, such as wherever plumbing or electrical work was needed.
