The School!
Paulette Elementary
Week 14
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The School Director has turned GREEN!I attended a meeting last night where the roof of the new school was discussed. It seems that there is some doubt as to whether this roof is the color we chose. I like the color but a couple of members of the School Board don't care for it, or feel our wishes were not represented. Now I know this is a very small issue and that a roof of any color will keep our children dry. But Mr. Goforth has accepted the cause and is looking into it. I'll keep you all informed as to the color issue. I like the white color though and research says that this is the most energy efficient color for a large open school. |
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 Now
I bring this up not because I don't like the color because I do. I
don't bring this up because a blue roof keeps kids drier than a green
roof. I bring this up because it demonstrates the attention to detail
that Director Goforth and the School Board are paying to this project.Each week there is a meeting held on the site and Chairman Oaks and Director Goforth attend. The last one I went to had both of these men, some citizens and representatives of every company involved. When an issue comes up it is dealt with in a timely manner. If this had happened on other building projects...Well things would be different let's just say that.  Attention
to detail is an aspect we must consider for all areas of life. If we
tend to every detail in a timely manner things tend not to get out of
hand. Once things get so bad and left unchecked more drastic measures
are required to reverse them. In years past it used to be a running
joke in the county that every faucet in every school leaked. While this
was clearly an exaggeration it was not very far from the truth. This
happened because for years things like this were not considered a
priority.As many of you know we have a new maintenance team in the school system. One of the first things they were tasked to do by Director Goforth was stop every leak at every school. Mr. Goforth made it clear that the belts and budgets had to be tightened. This involved stopping the large water bills all the way down to turning computers off at night. Technology was installed to shut every school computer off at a certain time daily in case any were forgotten. Grants have been received to replace the current lighting with more energy efficient Smart lighting. The changes in the lighting alone are projected by TVA to produce a savings of $35,000 a year! Paulette will be the most energy efficient and cost effective school in our county. True all of the other elementary schools are 40 years old, but Mr. Goforth has initiated steps to make them as efficient as possible.  This
week at Paulette the crew is pouring the gym floor. A good sub-base
will be placed and later the hardwood will be installed. Paulette will
be the only Elementary School in the county with a hardwood basketball
court. Figure 1 shows the wet base that will become the gym of the new
school.The first hallway has been completed. In figure 2 you see a view down the hallway. To the left will be classrooms and to the right will be offices for small group instruction. The small group offices are right off the back of the library. In figure 3 we see workers laying block. The area they are in will be the cafeteria. It may be hard to see but the doors will lead to the serving line. All of this will be covered with some color of roof. I think most people are happy just to have a new school for their kids. Unless they use pink or yellow I doubt anyone will complain. But if kids get wet we all complain. That brings us to the video that is with this week's page. In the video the operator gently approaches the building on the small dozer. With pinpoint precision he drops the blade and reverses. He is pulling dirt away from the front of the building. With precise  measurements his co-workers measure the drop or "fall" away from the building.Anyone who has ever built a patio knows that it must slope away from the house. It is the same with parking lots. If the parking lot at the front of the building were to be level water would collect and run under the walls. Just as the slope of the roof (whatever color we eventually choose) drains rain toward the gutters, the slope this dozer is making will drain water away from the building. Right now there are two poles in front of the school. One belongs to AT&T and the other to Comcast. An amount was placed in the budget to move these poles. However, at last night's meeting Mr. Goforth ask the School Board for permission to negotiate with the two companies to see if he can get it done cheaper. He figures any savings he can get here can be used elsewhere. This is how cost over-runs have been avoided. We have a School Board that has been very hands on with this project. By doing so they make certain that mistakes of the past are not repeated! |
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