OWATONNA — About this time last year, Saint Mary’s School officials made the discovery of possible floor collapse, which led the school to temporarily close its classroom doors and seek a temporary, alternative location at Pillsbury Campus for the 2015/2016 school year.
Now, construction in the school is wrapping up and moving trucks are being emptied for teachers to arrange their classrooms for fall.
On Sunday, Aug. 14, St. Mary’s School will host an open house from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the community to see the work done.
“It is ultimately an opportunity for us to showcase the work that has been done and to quench people’s curiosity and to make sure that people know, yes, we are open for the first day of school,” said Principal Kathleen Segna.
Sean Pick, Sacred Heart Parish School Board Representative on the Saint Mary’s School Advisory Board, said that the open house will kick start the second phase of the fundraising efforts of the $2.25 million capital campaign to pay for the repair of the building and other expenses.
As of July 26, $1,087,363.26 has been raised for the capital campaign.
Pick said that he was happy with the progression of the campaign. The future of the campaign will include more letter writing.
St. Joseph Business Manager and project manager Al Christenson said with a sigh of relief that costs of the project have remained true to the estimated budget.
The construction cost to repair the sagging floors and ceilings in St. Mary’s classrooms was estimated at $1,238,375.
Rocon is the general contractor for the project.
The fix included a variation of a stronger support system, including pillars, ceiling beams and joist structures. A joist is a horizontal supporting beam that runs between foundations or walls to support a ceiling or floor. In some rooms, the joist system actually lowered ceilings slightly.
Each classroom had to be addressed separately.
“Every room was a little bit different, had a little bit different problem, different measurements and little bit different degree of fault and breakage,” Christenson said. “There was no uniform answer.”
He recalled that there were roughly 28 major classrooms that needed repairs.
As a project on a timeline, the delivery of the steel for the project arrived weeks before they had anticipated and kept the project on track.
Because the school was empty, new coats of paint were added to each classroom.
Before the construction even began, the abatement of asbestos had to be completed and added about $200,000 of expenses, according to the campaign expense list.
Christenson said that the abatement of asbestos was almost expected due to the age of the building, which was built in the 1950s. Fortunately, they only had to clear the asbestos in the necessary areas, which saved some money.
Getting rid of the asbestos and fixing the sagging floors was a bulk of the cost, but much of the expense came from the school’s temporary relocation.
The campaign estimated the rent at Pillsbury to be $332,400 for the year. That does not include the $150,000 for the buildout of temporary classrooms at their space in Pillsbury.
Professional fees are estimated at $150,000, and the campaign allows for $159,225 for contingency.
Christenson explained that they had to address fire safety during the construction as well. Fire walls and sprinklers were added to appropriate places. The school is also now sectioned off with new fire-rated doors that respond automatically to smoke detectors to isolate fires.
There is also the additional sprinkler requirement on the expense list was estimated at $20,000. The Owatonna Foundation actually provided a grant that covered much of the safety update costs.
Christenson praised Rocon for being “understanding and willing to work with their unique situation.”
“The cooperation between the architect, the engineer, myself and the contractor went surprisingly well,” said Christenson. “Everyone was willing to work with our unique situation.”
Christenson said that even though they are returning back to St. Mary’s School for the school start, small challenges are to be anticipated as they transition back.
Segna believes that the first day of school is going to be a happy moment for the teachers, students and families of St. Mary’s.
“We’re so honored to partner with our families and their children,” said Segna. “We’ve been through a lot, but our community is strong.”