From the Desk of Dr. Mark Rollefson Superintendent of the Yorkville Joint #2 School District

September 7, 2023 | Issue #28

Construction Has Started

Summer 2023

Hello Yorkville Partners,

With the passing of a construction and an operations referendum this past April 2023, we have been very busy working with NEXUS Solutions and vetting out bids for various projects.

Although the bulk of the projects will occur during the summer of 2024, we have had an opportunity for a soft start this current summer of 2023.

Gymnasium

The main gym walls were painted. Additionally, the wood floor was stripped down to raw wood, lines for basketball, volleyball, and badminton were added. The border and the Yorkville center court logo was also redone. Most recently the entire floor was coated with fresh wax.  

It is normally suggested this process be completed about every 10 years. The gym is 16 years old and was overdue for this periodic maintenance. 

It looks fantastic. We look forward to students, staff, and guests being able to see and use it.

Drinking Fountains “Bubblers”

This is Wisconsin, so we will call them bubblers! For about 15 years we have not used our school bubblers. This was not due to COVID but rather due to relatively high traces of an element called Molybdenum in our drinking water. For more information about Molybdenum, here is a link to a newsletter article from past school year: November 1, 2022 - Issue #12.

We were spending about $11,000 per year on Culligan water and drinking cups. We will no longer be assuming these annual costs and better yet, we can drink our water!

We added a molybdenum filtering system, redid all of the plumbing to the drinking sources (bubblers), and installed new bubblers. 

Landscaping

We started small, but we have addressed some needed aesthetics in landscaping. 

This effort has not only provided for a more welcoming appearance, but has addressed water pooling against the side of the cafeteria. 

We have more landscaping to address over the next few summers.

Summer 2024

The majority of the projects will be completed during the spring and summer of 2024. Here is a list of some of the projects were are planning for:

• HVAC including air conditioning for the 1955, 1965, and 1992 portions of the building
• New parking lot and traffic flow system
• Added sidewalk for student pick up & drop off
• Tuckpointing brick work
• Addition of storage facility attached to the building
• Asbestos removal of entire building
• New interior doors
• New energy efficient classroom windows
• New ceiling tile throughout the building
• New energy efficient lighting
• New green space (removing very old blacktop in south courtyard)
• Additional landscaping
• New blacktop in all playground spaces
• Information technology wiring system all replaced
• Added WIFI throughout building and grounds
• Better lighting in parking lots
• New and functioning PA system
• New and functioning phone system
• Internet, PA, and phone system (all tied together)
• Student desks, chairs, tables
• Staff desks, chairs
• Library furniture
• Cafeteria furniture
• Interior painting
• New electrical components throughout the building (what we have is vintage 1950's and 1960's and no longer supported)
• New keyless entrance access cards for remaining doors
• Recore all interior and exterior doors to address safety concerns
• Landscape elevation pitch away from building to address water infiltration
• Replacement of plumbing system vintage 1950's and 1960's

As you can see the planning, bidding, and timing of all of this work for the spring and summer of 2024 is no small task. We intend to keep you informed throughout the exciting work.

Thank you again for supporting your school, your students, your future in these necessary projects.

I am hopeful this newsletter was informative. Feedback is welcomed. My email address is mark.rollefson@yorkville.k12.wi.us and I always appreciate hearing from you.