Emery County School District
2020 Bond Election
Ferron Elementary
Projected Cost: $20,000,000
Downloadable PDF
The Emery School District Facilities Committee has determined that Ferron Elementary is a priority school for new construction. Plans are to construct a new school on the south-west corner of the block where the current school is. This would allow for the new building to be constructed while school is in session. The current school would be demolished to make room for parking and lawn / play areas, as seen in this preliminary campus plan:
Although final design options & details are yet to be determined, this is an example of the school design:
Why Does Ferron Elementary Need to be Replaced?
Portions of the current Ferron Elementary School were constructed in 1918, 1962, 1966, and 1979. Ferron Elementary uses what we call “Building C” which was built in 1918 and was part of the original South Emery High School. It is very old and has required a lot of upkeep and maintenance over the years it has been in service.
The school initially used a coal boiler steam heating system and no air conditioning. Over the years the heating system has been converted to natural gas boiler steam heating, then natural gas hot water heating with individual fan coil units and evaporative coolers in classrooms and other areas.
The heating system is getting old. The problems with it stem from older piping and fan coil unit valves that are no longer functioning correctly and which require repair or replacement at each unit. With the age of the system, it has become inefficient, and requires a lot of preventive maintenance and replacement parts. Correcting this would require replacing the classroom units, boilers, and piping in the school at a substantial cost to the district and with some doubt about achieving the success hoped for, especially in regards to improving overall efficiency.
The cooling system has individual evaporative coolers for classrooms and other areas of the building. They work well overall but have ongoing maintenance problems especially as they get older. Electrical systems are inadequate for today’s electrical and technology needs. Demands for electrical capacity will only continue to grow. Meeting electrical needs has required several creative adaptations. One power addition was added to support heating retrofit and to bolster electrical needs. The power services that were added were brought in through the tunnels with an electrical pan-el in the library closet. Surface-mounted molding for wires and cables have been required. Most of the power in the building is at maximum capacity.
The Fire alarm system needs to be upgraded to meet the Fire Marshall’s recommendations. This school does have fire sprinklers that are surface mounted and are not original equipment in the older part of the school. The Fire Marshall is requesting fire system upgrades throughout the district which is ongoing two or three schools at a time. In order to stay up to code at Ferron Elementary School, a new system needs to be installed.
Water and Sewer Systems: Besides being older and of an older technology, the school has a lot of the piping that is underground under the building which is inaccessible, so when we have had pipe failure, we have been required to reroute the water lines or abandon sinks in certain classrooms. This results in significant classroom disruption and inhibits hygiene needs.
Roofing is an ongoing problem in every building, Ferron Elementary School is no exception. Ferron Elementary has Carlisle TPO roofing over the older part of the building and EPDM roofing over the gym. The district has been vigilant to keep the roofing issues addressed as they arise, but in the near future it will require replacement of the roofing over the gym area.
Asbestos: Being an older building, asbestos was commonly used in construction. Over the years we have done many abatement projects and have encapsulated any asbestos that is remaining. The only way to get to the remaining asbestos would be to remove the building. All areas that are remaining are maintained and inspected regularly. All documentations are available to the public upon request.
Safety: In addition to these issues, from a security standpoint, Ferron Elementary would require a considerable upgrade at the front entrance to allow for the security buzz-in system we are now installing in our schools, which include the designing and building of a vestibule.
In the opinion of the Maintenance Department, funding a new building is a needed expense and would be an effective use of district resources.
2020 Bond Election
Ferron Elementary
Projected Cost: $20,000,000
Downloadable PDF
The Emery School District Facilities Committee has determined that Ferron Elementary is a priority school for new construction. Plans are to construct a new school on the south-west corner of the block where the current school is. This would allow for the new building to be constructed while school is in session. The current school would be demolished to make room for parking and lawn / play areas, as seen in this preliminary campus plan:
Although final design options & details are yet to be determined, this is an example of the school design:
Why Does Ferron Elementary Need to be Replaced?
Portions of the current Ferron Elementary School were constructed in 1918, 1962, 1966, and 1979. Ferron Elementary uses what we call “Building C” which was built in 1918 and was part of the original South Emery High School. It is very old and has required a lot of upkeep and maintenance over the years it has been in service.
The school initially used a coal boiler steam heating system and no air conditioning. Over the years the heating system has been converted to natural gas boiler steam heating, then natural gas hot water heating with individual fan coil units and evaporative coolers in classrooms and other areas.
The heating system is getting old. The problems with it stem from older piping and fan coil unit valves that are no longer functioning correctly and which require repair or replacement at each unit. With the age of the system, it has become inefficient, and requires a lot of preventive maintenance and replacement parts. Correcting this would require replacing the classroom units, boilers, and piping in the school at a substantial cost to the district and with some doubt about achieving the success hoped for, especially in regards to improving overall efficiency.
The cooling system has individual evaporative coolers for classrooms and other areas of the building. They work well overall but have ongoing maintenance problems especially as they get older. Electrical systems are inadequate for today’s electrical and technology needs. Demands for electrical capacity will only continue to grow. Meeting electrical needs has required several creative adaptations. One power addition was added to support heating retrofit and to bolster electrical needs. The power services that were added were brought in through the tunnels with an electrical pan-el in the library closet. Surface-mounted molding for wires and cables have been required. Most of the power in the building is at maximum capacity.
The Fire alarm system needs to be upgraded to meet the Fire Marshall’s recommendations. This school does have fire sprinklers that are surface mounted and are not original equipment in the older part of the school. The Fire Marshall is requesting fire system upgrades throughout the district which is ongoing two or three schools at a time. In order to stay up to code at Ferron Elementary School, a new system needs to be installed.
Water and Sewer Systems: Besides being older and of an older technology, the school has a lot of the piping that is underground under the building which is inaccessible, so when we have had pipe failure, we have been required to reroute the water lines or abandon sinks in certain classrooms. This results in significant classroom disruption and inhibits hygiene needs.
Roofing is an ongoing problem in every building, Ferron Elementary School is no exception. Ferron Elementary has Carlisle TPO roofing over the older part of the building and EPDM roofing over the gym. The district has been vigilant to keep the roofing issues addressed as they arise, but in the near future it will require replacement of the roofing over the gym area.
Asbestos: Being an older building, asbestos was commonly used in construction. Over the years we have done many abatement projects and have encapsulated any asbestos that is remaining. The only way to get to the remaining asbestos would be to remove the building. All areas that are remaining are maintained and inspected regularly. All documentations are available to the public upon request.
Safety: In addition to these issues, from a security standpoint, Ferron Elementary would require a considerable upgrade at the front entrance to allow for the security buzz-in system we are now installing in our schools, which include the designing and building of a vestibule.
In the opinion of the Maintenance Department, funding a new building is a needed expense and would be an effective use of district resources.
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