NWLSD Staff, Families and Community Members,
We are writing to inform you of an important update regarding our Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) building project for Colerain Elementary.
As previously communicated, on June 13, 2024, Northwest Local School District’s Board of Education voted unanimously to accept the offer to enter into the OFCC’s Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP) with a 22% co-funded share. Upon approval from the NWLSD Board, the OFCC passed a resolution on July 11, 2024 to accept NWLSD into the co-funded project, allowing our District to build a new Colerain Elementary School (CE), at no cost to the community. This was done by utilizing the accumulated district savings that were intentionally allocated and transferred last February by the Board of Education to assist our community with funding our Master Facilities Plan.
On July 18, 2024, NWLSD Administration met with the OFCC to outline the scope of work for the project. During this meeting, the team reviewed OFCC’s process for a co-funded project and connected with the project team who has been assigned to work with our District. As the project continues over the coming months, multiple resolutions will need to go before the NWLSD Board of Education for approval.
NWLSD will continue to address current building concerns on the existing Colerain Elementary and Middle School Campus. At this time, our District Administration is currently working to addresses the following issues:
Colerain Elementary (CE):
- Removing bricks and waterproofing the roofline.
- Replacing affected areas with metal sheeting.
- Pinning bricks in other areas of concern as a temporary measure. This solution will be reviewed annually and after extreme weather conditions, such as winter freezing and thawing. This will allow us to continue using CE as a school for the next year and potentially longer based on annual inspections.
- Construction fencing will remain in place for safety, although some scaffolding may be removed once the current work is completed.
(Above photo shows the work being done on Colerain Middle School this Summer)
Colerain Middle (CMS):
Contractors have completed the work to remove the brick facade and the parapet from the front of Colerain Middle. The scaffolding will be removed soon.
We want to assure our families that our architects, engineers as well as the Colerain Township Fire Department and Hamilton County Building Department have deemed the CE and CMS school buildings safe for use for the upcoming 2024 - 2025 school year. Should the district be unable to utilize CE before the new building is ready, we will relocate to the Houston site in accordance with our approved catastrophic plan.
We appreciate your ongoing support and patience as we work to address our facilities for the benefit of our students and community. We will continue to keep you updated on our progress.