The renovation of the Riverhead Central School District includes the elimination of temporary portable classrooms and construction of bigger classrooms to accommodate the growing number of students. BBS Architects developed a capital plan, which is divided into three distinctive areas: Spatial needs, which encompass the necessary additional classrooms, administrative offices and other facilities; Facility needs, which include the required maintenance and capital improvements to existing facilities; and infrastructure and site work, which encompasses sports fields, playgrounds, pick-up and drop-off loops, driveways, and parking areas.
To minimise interruptions to the district’s educational operations, the program has been divided into three main phases and multiple steps within each phase. The first phase of the overall program encompasses three elementary schools: Aquebogue, Philips Avenue and Riley Avenue. Construction activities at these schools will begin in the first half of 2012. The second, largest phase is the $32.1-million expansion and renovation of the Riverhead High School, which will begin in 2013. The third phase includes the main campus improvements and renovations to the Riverhead Middle School, Pulaski Street School for grades sixth and seven, and the Roanoke Avenue Elementary.
The first construction projects of the program will begin in late 2012 at the Phillips Elementary School, Aquebogue Elementary and Riley Avenue Elementary. All work is expected to conclude by 2015. Upon completion, the school will feature a $12 million, 30,000 square feet, two-storied building to house a new main entry, four 1,400 square feet advanced science classrooms, four 825 square feet science classrooms, and main, guidance and administrative offices. The new building will accommodate the majority of the offices of the existing building.
A number of green building features will be incorporated including green and insulated roofs, high efficiency lighting and HVAC systems, water saving fixtures, high performance window glazing, and tight building envelopes.
The renovation work on the existing high school building will include replacement of the roof and all windows and renovations to the 5,600 square feet library, 2,756 square feet auditorium, two music rooms totaling 2,700 square feet, three special education rooms, health and home economics rooms, 11 science and chemistry classrooms, 1,222 square feet large group instruction room, 1,347 square feet art room, 1,311 square feet home and careers room, an ROTC office, and bathrooms. A smaller, second addition of 2,232 square feet will house a physical education station, including a new weight training room.
The $1.6 million renovation to the main campus will feature construction of a new, 1,200-seat home team bleacher bank, separate 250-seat visitor bleachers, resurfacing of a running track, repairing of the tennis courts and the girls’ softball and boys’ baseball field improvements.
The initial, $122-million proposal encompassed retiring the Roanoke Elementary School. It was converted into an elementary school when the new high school was erected. Following consultations with the community, the school will remain in service after receiving renovations and upgrades. The $7.8-million renovation will include 12,700 square feet expansion of the Roanoke Elementary, which will house a new1, 850 square feet cafeteria, two new 930 square feet Kindergarten classrooms, a 612 square feet kitchen, new special classrooms including an ESL, literary and resource fee room, and improvements to administrative offices encompassing a new social worker’s, school psychologist’s, and new principal’s office, main office and waiting rooms. The architectural value of the Roanoke Elementary will be protected including the preservation of the exterior massing, materials, shapes, and neo-classical stylized architecture.
The $5.7-million program at the Riley Elementary includes two new, 825 square feet classrooms, a new, 559 square feet, state-of-the-art theatrical stage in the expanded, 4,000 square feet, multi-purpose cafeteria space and renovations to a 1,840 square feet library, a 927 square feet computer room, a 200-square foot speech room, a literary coach room, the school psychologist/social worker room, and two 413-square-foot reading rooms. The facility will also receive a new roof, reconfigured driveways and a surface parking, and ADA improvements to its playground.
The $3.4-million renovations to the 61,680-square-foot Phillips Avenue Elementary School will include replacement of the roof, playground ADA improvements, parking and drop-off loops reconfigurations, expansion of the library and upgrades to the reading rooms, ESL rooms, speech and occupational therapy/speech therapy rooms, student, and faculty restroom facilities. The construction work, which had begun in August 2012, will proceed in phases in order to eliminate disruptions to educational activities.
After renovation, the library will more than double in size to 1,650 square feet featuring the reading area, book stacks section and the flexible story area with a movable partition, which will accommodate two groups of students at the same time. The new interiors will also include the new, 830 square feet computer room, 3,600 square feet of small group instructional spaces, ESL rooms, speech and occupational therapy/speech therapy rooms, and student and faculty restrooms.
The new roof of the building will feature thermal insulation in excess of the local building code requirements and a reflective TPO surface to reduce the heat island effect. The new interior materials will contain a high recycled content. The construction materials, such as asphalt and concrete will be sourced locally to reduce the environmental impact of transportation. The sub-base beneath the new parking will be constructed of Recycled Content Aggregate (RCA).
The site work will include a new parent drop-off loop on the north site of the Philips Avenue School’s building. The new loop will be separated from the bus drop-off loop for safety and convenience. The 52-stall parking lot will be expanded to 129 spaces. The school’s playground will receive new ADA-compliant, multi-coloured, poured-in-place rubber surface.
The renovation of the Aquebogue Elementary school will include a partial roof replacement, wall renovations, installation of a moveable partition in the gymnasium, and replacement of the ventilation system and the boilers. The $3.8 million renovations and expansions will add a new 10,500 square feet kitchen, four new reading and resource rooms totaling 1,209 square feet, speech, special education, literary coach and occupational/physical therapy rooms totaling 1,685 square feet, a new 392-square foot math room, and a 466-square feet faculty room.
The $7.9 million expansions and improvements to the two storied Pulaski Street School will include a new, 3,040 square feet cafeteria, a 1,145 square feet kitchen, toilet rooms and ADA access ramp and lift, valued at $2.5 million. It will also include a partial roof replacement,roadway and parking improvements, as well as a new computer room and renovations to a 1,000 square feet music/band room and support facilities, 1,017 square feet music room, 1,294 square feet large group instruction room, 891 square feet health room, 1,268 square feet science and prep rooms, 497 square feet reading room, 435 square feet lab assistant’s room and four regular classrooms ranging from 601 to 972 square feet in size. A portion of the school’s hallways will receive new VCT flooring.
