Amber Siratt
Kern Valley Sun

For the first time since construction began on the new classrooms and gym/community center on the Wallace Middle School campus, the Kernville Union School District invited parents and community members to a Nov. 20 information meeting about the progress of the project. The construction project, also known as Wallace phase three, is funded by the $6 million bond measure approved by voters in June 2008.  Phases one and two of campus modernization and renovation construction projects at Wallace and Kernville Elementary School’s were funded by a $5.6 million bond measure passed in 2004. For the current project, the district has secured $6.6 million in matching funds from the state. Four matching fund applications were submitted by the district and include a new construction application for $4.4 million, joint use for $1 million, special education for $250,000 and modernization for $1.5 million. “We did a really good job of going to the state and maximizing our eligibility,” said Kernville Union School District Superintendent Mary Barlow.

Removal of the old portable buildings began this summer after the job was awarded to JTS Construction of Bakersfield. Sure Set, a subcontractor of a subcontractor was hired by JTS to remove the buildings. On July 14, during the removal process, a portable building collapsed, killing Sure Set employee Adan Fraga. The incident was ruled an accident by Cal/OSHA.  “We shut down that project until JTS could come in and bring their crew instead of the subcontractor of the subcontractor. And we saw a difference in the experience level of the individuals,” said Barlow.

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  After the buildings were removed by JTS, the site work began with the removal of the cement work, trenching and leveling the ground. During this process, six leach lines and one septic tank were discovered. Barlow explained, “This facility has been here for 50 years so there was a lot of development that wasn’t on the plans.”  The discovery slowed work on the project and added $100,000 more in costs but Barlow assures that the project is within budget and is ahead of schedule.

Most of the dirt work and footings on site are complete. The new buildings, which are constructed to last 50 years, are all built and waiting to be placed. The first section of new buildings arrived last week and placement of the buildings started earlier this week. The district hopes to have students in their new classrooms by March. The new gym/community center is scheduled to be completed in October, 2009. It will be twice the size of the existing gym and will not only be spacious for school events but also events such as community performances or meetings, presentations. In the event of a natural disaster, the gym/community center will serve as an evacuation center. The existing gym will be a multipurpose room  and is being partially renovated and will have new siding, new bathrooms constructed plus work on the ceiling and structural roofing is being completed. The highest level of DSA approved inspectors inspect the work that is done on site that includes welding, masonry and block work, all of which must be specially inspected. Soil engineers test for soil compaction. Work on the existing gym is expected to be complete early next year, in time for the middle school basketball teams to play home games.        

The campus will also include a new special education classroom that will better serve students with mobility challenges and severe needs. Kern County Superintendent of Schools helped the district design the classroom which will include a washer and dryer and other assisted living features. The classroom will offer more room for physical therapy for the students. In speaking about the classroom Barlow said, “It’s the first time we’ve had anything like that in our community. We’re very encouraged by that.”

Questions or concerns about the construction were also addressed at the meeting. Ron Dermates, the Parent Advisory Committee Chairperson of KUSD Preschool, expressed the concerns of parents, teachers and the committee of the condition of the preschool parking lot due to construction traffic. Dirt tracked in by trucks and equipment has made for slippery conditions in the parking lot. “We’re worried about parents, grandparents, kids slipping and getting hurt,” explained Dermates. Another concern was the speed of construction vehicles in the vicinity of the preschool.  Dennis Voller, Coordinator of Maintenance Operations and Transportation for the district, said he was aware of the safety issues and noted that he had spoken earlier to the site supervisor for JTS about the concerns. “We are not ignoring your concerns, we are addressing them and we will address it again with them (JTS),” said Voller.

The meeting included a slide show of the progress of the construction along with a display of the plans for the layout and design of the project. As construction continues, more meetings will be held to inform parents and the community of further progress.