Franklin schools are seeking bids for the design and construction of a depressurization system for Needham and Webb elementary schools that would lower levels of the organic compounds PCE and TCE, which can have harmful health effects.
The system would work to lower the levels of the compounds in the ground underneath the two elementary schools, after environmental tests before spring break showed levels of PCE and TCE that exceeded the acceptable amount set by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, causing schools to be closed March 21. Although additional rounds of testing have shown decreased levels of PCE and TCE and no airborne contaminants, student attendance at the schools was lower than normal in the days following spring break.
Companies have until May 6 to bid on the work. A technical review committee will review the bids and recommend one to the school board, which will vote on that recommendation either during its next meeting on May 13 or during a special meeting, operations director Jeff Sewell said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
That committee will consist of Superintendent David Clendening, Sewell, a member of architectural firm Lancer and Beebe and a school board member, Sewell said.
A cost estimate for the project would depend on the bid amounts, he said.
Construction will likely take two to four weeks, depending on the number of hours construction workers can access the schools. That work will start about the time this school year ends, but will be complete by the start of the upcoming school year, he said.
“The (school) board is interested in completing this project in a timely manner,” Sewell said. “By the start of the school year, our main objective is to get the work done promptly but absolutely correctly, in a way that’s not disruptive to the school and safe for everyone involved.”
Although attendance has rebounded, the schools are working with parents who wish to take their children out of the district. Parents can either homeschool those children or transfer them to another school, either in Franklin or in another district.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The construction company will core holes through the concrete floor. There will be pipes that run down through the floor and up through the roof. A fan will pull air from underneath the floor so any vapors from underneath the floor can’t infiltrate the air inside the building. The process will take two to four weeks to complete, Operations Director Jeff Sewell said.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
