OCSD study: Schools need costly repairs; district considers Orangeburg-area facility conditions

As the Orangeburg County School District developed its $190 million plan for improving schools, it looked at the condition of its existing facilities.

For instance, Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School needs nearly $54 million in repairs, officials say.

OCSD Superintendent Dr. Shawn Foster asked the question, “If we were to invest this type of money, am I to get another 60 years out of that facility?”

The current school is in bad shape, he said. “I am not sure we will get another 50 years out of that facility and it will still have issues that we are unable to address in the current plan of just going in and renovating and updating a few things.”

OCSD’s facilities plan, coined “School Improvements of Pride by 2025,” proposes borrowing $190 million to upgrade buildings. District officials say the plan will not increase taxes beyond the current level.

Without the plan, existing schools would need an estimated $429 million in repairs, according to the district.

Instead, the district proposes closing some schools that are in poor condition and bringing the students together in new or upgraded facilities. Officials say the plan also addresses the problem of underused schools, caused by the county’s declining population.

OCSD has been holding a series of public meetings throughout the county about its plans, and expects to consider public input in the development of a final plan. Voters will be asked to approve the borrowing in November.

Orangeburg-Wilkinson

OCSD paid for a study of the district’s 26 schools by architectural and planning firm LS3P Associates Ltd.

This story looks at the LS3P’s assessment of school conditions in the central part of Orangeburg County. A story Monday will look at the condition of eastern Orangeburg County schools.

OCSD’s plans include spending $100 million to $110 million on building a new O-W. A location has not been selected.

The proposal for the new O-W includes space for 1,600-1,800 students and a dedicated front entrance, gymnasium, parking and athletic fields.

LS3P’s study concluded the current O-W, “is very dated looking (1980s) and needs lots of repairs in the older sections of the facility.”

“There are moisture and roof leaks that need to be addressed,” the report stated. “The athletic facilities need lots of repairs.”

The 215,946-square-foot school on Bruin Parkway was built in 1984 with renovations done in 1999 to the gym and athletic facilities. The band room, new administration/entry and Section J classroom wing were all developed in 2004.

The study reported 1,116 students attend the high school, which is 57% capacity. The district reports it costs $239,489 a year to heat and cool the school.

The planned new school would be at 75% capacity.

The faculty study provided some more details about the school’s needed improvements.

Exterior observations

• The school’s downspouts and gutters could use some repairs.

• There are signs of moisture (i.e., stains on bricks under lot of windows).

• The exterior doors of the school appear to be in good shape. There are some door hardware issues and touch-up paint is needed.

• Basketball and tennis courts need to be resurfaced and new nets put in place.

• Dugouts and bleachers at the school’s softball and baseball fields need repairs.

Interior observations

• No fire sprinkler system.

• Smoke detectors throughout the school.

• The interior walls of the school are in good condition.

• The administration area’s office space vinyl tiling and carpeting are in good condition.

• Most of the doors throughout the school are in OK condition, but are very dated looking. They have hardware issues and need touch-up paint on frames.

• Ceiling tiles in some bathrooms need repairs and quarry tile floors look dated. The sinks and toilet fixtures are in OK condition and the toilet partitions are in all right shape.

• Classroom ceilings and flooring appear to be in OK condition.

• The second floor section C classrooms have not been renovated and are the original rooms. Recommend renovating and updating this area.

• Ceilings and flooring in the school’s corridor and hallways is in good shape. However, there is quarry tile flooring in older sections of the school. These tile floors are in good condition, but look very dated. Lockers need repair as well.

• Media center: Ceilings in this area are dated but appear to be in OK condition. The carpet is relatively new and in very good condition. Doors and frames in this area are old and need repairs.

• Gym: exposed ceilings with wood flooring. The basketball court is in good shape. Equipment (basketball goals, etc.) and bleachers are in good condition.

• Cafeteria/commons area: Ceilings in this area are dated looking and some areas were indicative of moisture issues. Flooring in the area is in good condition.

• Kitchen: Ceilings in the kitchen need some minor repairs. Equipment is in very good condition.

• Auditorium: The seating and carpet (red) is old and dated looking. The drama dressing room area is in very bad shape and needs lots of repairs. Spray paint graffiti was on the walls.

Rivelon Elementary-Edisto Primary

The district is seeking to combine some smaller schools and close the ones that need the most work.

Rivelon Elementary and Edisto Primary School exclusively serve early learners in pre-kindergarten through second grade. The underutilized schools have bordering attendance lines and are about three miles apart.

The district proposes completing minor renovations at Edisto Primary School and moving Rivelon students to EPS.

There is currently an entire wing at Edisto Primary that is not being used, which can be used to absorb the additional 189 students from Rivelon.

Combining the students from those two campuses increases Edisto Primary’s occupancy to 65%.

Roof work and flooring, painting and lighting would have to be done at Edisto Primary School.

Rivelon Elementary would close under this proposal because bringing it up to a minimum standard would cost the district an estimated $14 million.

The 57,318-square-foot building was built in 1955 is located at 350 Thomas B. Eklund Circle.

It was renovated in 1985, 1986, 2003 and 2009.

The school can hold about 580 students but at the time of the facility study only held 216. It was at 37% capacity.

The annual cost of heating and cooling the school is about $57,469.

The study’s summary notes the new portion of the school is in good condition with only minor repairs needed.

However, the older sections of the school have lots of issues that need to be addressed.

Exterior observations

• The downspouts and gutters need repairs between the older classroom wings.

• The exterior brick on the newer portions of the school look good. However, the older classroom wings of the building indicated moisture problems.

• The window system is in good condition. However, on the older classroom wings, there are wood-aluminum clad windows with a single-pane glass system. These windows need lots of repairs and replacement is recommended.

• Door hardware repairs are needed. On the older sections, lots of repairs are needed and replacement is recommended.

• The manufactured walkway covers and canopies at the older classroom wings are old and leaking in spots. Lots of repairs are needed and replacements are recommended.

• Playground equipment is old but in OK condition.

• In the older classroom wings, the classes are all accessed from the exterior of the building and do not have corridors. Classrooms open directly to the outside.

• There are water drainage issues in the courtyard area between the older classroom wings. The grading in this area is poor and doesn’t drain well.

Interior observations

• No fire sprinkler system.

• Smoke detectors throughout the school.

• The interior walls are primarily comprised of load bearing masonry and are in good condition in the newer buildings.

• The administration area has a mixture of carpet and vinyl flooring. These are in good condition.

• Doors are primarily wood core doors with hollow metal frames. Most of the doors throughout the school are in good condition. They only need some minor touch-up paint on the frames.

• Corridors and hallways have acoustic ceilings and vinyl tiling flooring that are in good condition.

• The media center has dated-looking acoustic ceiling tiles. The carpet flooring appears to be in good condition.

• Group toilets have acoustic ceiling tiles which need to be repaired at locations, and ceramic tile floors. These floors need repairs. The sinks and toilet fixtures are in good condition. There are a couple of restrooms that are very small and do not meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

• Classrooms’ ceiling and flooring is in good condition. However, the older classroom wings are not in good condition and need lots of repairs, including new ceiling tiles and flooring. Windows need to be replaced.

Edisto Primary

The 104,206-square-foot school on Cordova Road in Cordova was built in 2001.

The school has a capacity of 1,232 students, but served about 540 at the time of the study.

The average annual energy cost is $121,152.

The study revealed that overall the school is in very good condition, except for the gym. The gym is very old and needs lots of repairs, according to the study.

Exterior observations

• No roof leaks at this school. The downspouts and gutters could use some repairs.

• The school’s exterior brick appears to be in good condition.

• The windows appear to be in good condition.

• Exterior doors are in good shape with only minor hardware issues and some touch-up paint needed.

• The manufactured walkway covers and canopies need some minor repairs, but are in overall good condition.

• Playground equipment needs minor repairs.

Interior observations

• No fire sprinkler system.

• Smoke detectors throughout the school.

• The interior walls are in good condition.

• The main entry vestibule area has nice terrazzo flooring.

• The administration area has carpet throughout. It is in good condition.

• Doors are primarily wood-core doors with hollow metal frames. Most of the doors throughout the school are in good condition with only minor touch-up paint needed on frames.

• Bathrooms are in good condition. The sinks and toilet fixtures are in good condition and the toilet partitions are in good shape.

• Classroom ceilings and flooring are in good shape.

• The gym is a separate building and is the original building, which was built approximately 40 to 50 years ago. This gym building now serves as a multi-purpose room/auditorium. It has a platform. The building has an old basement, which is now closed off, and is located under the stage area that was used as locker rooms.

William J. Clark Middle School

The plan calls for building an additional 20-classroom wing at Clark Middle and renovating and repurposing Howard Middle for elementary learning.

The schools are about two miles apart.

The additional wing in Clark Middle would hold between 400 and 500 students.

With a proposed addition of 28,312 square feet, Clark’s campus could be home to all middle-level students throughout the central area of the county, including those within Clark’s attendance zone and students previously zoned for Howard. The addition would mean Clark would have an occupancy of 65%.

School officials note the district recently spent money on Clark for upgrades that included a new roof, repainted and refloored interior and new windows.

William J. Clark is a 150,665-square-foot school located at 919 Bennett Street in Orangeburg. It was built in 1954 and was renovated in 1974 (library and administration additions) and 2004 (classroom wing addition).

It costs the district about $164,113 a year to heat and cool the school.

The school can house about 1,534 students, but at the time of the study only housed 720. It was at 47% capacity.

Overall, the new portion of the school is in good condition with some repairs needed. However, the older sections of the school have lots of issues that need to be addressed, according to the study.

Exterior observations

• There are roof leak issues that were being addressed at the time of the study.

• The overall appearance is dated and old looking. The older classroom wings of the building had moisture problems.

• The window system is in good condition. The windows on the older classroom wings need lots of repairs and the study recommends replacing them. Water leaks at windows were noticed.

• Doors need hardware repairs. On the older sections, they need lots of repairs and the study recommends replacing them.

• The manufactured walkway covers and canopies need lots of repairs. The study recommends replacing these.

• There are water drainage issues between the older classroom wings as well. The grading in this area is poor and doesn’t have the necessary catch basins and stormwater piping to carry water away from the building.

Interior observations

• No fire sprinkler system.

• Smoke detectors throughout the school.

• The interior walls are in good condition in the newer buildings.

• The administration area flooring is in fairly good condition.

• Most of the doors throughout the school (except in the older sections of the school) are in good condition and only need some minor touch-up paint on the frames. However, in the older classroom wings, these doors need lots of door hardware repairs and touch-up paint.

• Corridors and hallways have some really bad areas where water and moisture issues were occurring.

• Overall classroom ceilings and flooring were in good condition. However, the older classroom wings are not in good condition and need lots of repairs.

• Ceilings in bathrooms need to be repaired. The sinks and toilet fixtures are in OK condition.

• The computer lab near the administration area has bad moisture issues in the floor. The floor was cracking in that area.

• Stairwells need new flooring and paint on the handrails.

• There are visible signs of mold in the media center’s AV room.

• The classroom wing added in 2004 shows mold issues in the classrooms along the front part of this classroom wing. There are lots of leaks in the vestibule at the end of the classroom wing.

Robert E. Howard Middle School

The district plans to repurpose as Howard Middle as Howard Elementary.

Howard would open to early childhood students to house students from Whittaker, Brookdale and Mellichamp. The schools are all within close proximity.

Howard is a 124,000-square-foot building. Currently, the three schools combine for 204,000 square feet, meaning the reduction in square footage would also mean a reduction in heating and cooling costs.

The occupancy of Howard under the proposal would be about 75%.

The district has also recently placed a new roof on Howard and painted the building.

With repair costs exceeding $18 million, $9 million and $6 million, respectively, Whittaker, Brookdale and Mellichamp elementary schools would close under the plan. The schools are all within four miles of each other.

Howard is located at 1255 Belleville Road in Orangeburg and was built in 1951.

The school has seen renovations in 1952 with classroom wings E, F, G, H and I.

The gym was developed in 1954. Classroom wing K was developed in 1957 and classroom wing L and the media center in 1962.

Classroom wings M, N, TL were developed in 1965 and the kitchen was upgraded in 1989. A cafeteria addition was placed in 2003.

The school can hold 1,196 students and had an enrollment of about 423 for a 35% capacity.

The district spends about $147,486 in annual energy costs at the school.

The new portion of the school is in good condition with only minor repairs needed, according to the study.

Exterior observations

• The downspouts and gutters need lots of repairs on the older classroom wings.

• The exterior building’s brick appears to be in good condition. However, on the older classroom wings of the building, moisture issues were evident.

• The window system is in good condition. Windows on the older classroom wings need lots of repairs and the study recommends replacing them.

• Exterior doors need hardware repairs. On the older sections, they need lots of repairs and the study recommends replacing them.

• The manufactured walkway covers and canopies (especially at the older classroom wings) are old and leaking in spots. They need lots of repairs and the study recommends replacing them.

• The classroom wings are all accessed from the exterior of the building. Classroom doors open directly to the outside. This is a potential security issue.

• There are water drainage issues between the older classroom wings as well. The grading in this area is poor and doesn’t have the necessary catch basins and stormwater piping to carry water away from the buildings.

Interior observations

• There is no fire sprinkler system.

• Smoke detectors are throughout the school.

• The interior walls are in good condition in the newer buildings.

• The administration area flooring is in good condition.

• Most of the doors throughout the school (except in the older sections of the school) are in good condition. In the older classroom wings, these doors need lots of door hardware repairs and touch-up paint.

• Corridor and hallway ceilings and flooring are in good condition.

• The media center has old/dated looking ceilings, and carpet flooring. There is carpet on the walls and columns. The carpet needs to be replaced and removed from the columns. The study recommends adding acoustical sound tiles on walls instead.

• Some bathroom ceilings need to be repaired at locations. The sinks and toilet fixtures are in good condition.

• Overall, ceilings and flooring in classrooms were in good condition. The older classroom wings are not in good condition and need lots of repairs of ceiling, flooring and windows.

Brookdale Elementary School

The 77,383-square-foot school at 394 Brookdale Drive was built in 1967 and has not undergone any renovations.

The school has seen a 37% utilization rate with about 279 students.

The annual energy cost to heat and cool the school is $87,543.

The study noted the school is outdated and in need of a lot of repairs.

Exterior observations

• The downspouts and gutters could use some minor repairs. Several areas had either roof or mechanical system leaks. Ceiling tiles had signs of moisture rings.

• The exterior building’s brick face appears to be in good condition.

• The window system is old and in bad condition. Study recommends replacing them in the older sections of the building.

• The exterior doors are old and need hardware repairs and some touch-up paint.

• The manufactured walkway covers and canopies need repairs.

• Playground equipment needs to be replaced.

Interior observations

• No fire sprinkler system.

• Smoke detectors throughout the school.

• The administration area has carpet and is in good condition.

• Most of the doors throughout the school are in bad condition and need repairs throughout the school (i.e., need paint on frames and new door hardware).

• Corridors and hallways are in very good condition in general. There were some areas that have visible signs of moisture issues possibly coming from poor drainage coming in under the storefront windows along the courtyard area.

• Bathroom ceilings need to be repaired in some locations. The sinks and toilet fixtures are in good condition and the toilet partitions are in pretty good shape.

• Most flooring in classrooms need to be repaired in the newer sections of the building or replaced in the older sections.

• The casework in most classrooms is old and dated plastic laminate.

• There is no working mechanical system in the gym.

• The wooden bleachers in the gym need to be replaced.

Mellichamp Elementary School

The 54,238-square-foot school on Murray Road was built in 1960. The school’s media center was renovated in 1991 and its classroom wing in 2001.

Overall, the new portion of the school is in good condition with only minor repairs needed. The older sections of the school have lots of issues that need to be addressed. The school has about 220 students enrolled for a utilization rate of 33%.

The district spends about $85,305 in annual energy costs at the school.

Exterior observations

• The downspouts and gutters need lots of repairs on the older classroom wings.

• The exterior building brick and face appears to be in good condition. The older classroom wings of the building revealed signs of moisture.

• The windows are in good condition. The older classroom windows need lots of repairs and the study recommends replacing them.

• The exterior doors need hardware repairs. On the older sections, they need lots of repairs and the study recommends replacing them.

• The manufactured walkway covers and canopies at the older classroom wings are old and leaking in spots. They need lots of repairs and the study recommends replacing these.

• The playground equipment is old and needs to be replaced.

• The classroom wings are all accessed from the exterior of the building and do not have corridors. Classrooms open directly to the outside. This is a potential security issue, the study said.

• There are water drainage issues between the older classroom wings as well. The grading in this area is poor and doesn’t have the necessary catch basins and stormwater piping to carry water away from the buildings.

Interior observations

• No fire sprinkler system.

• Smoke detectors throughout the school.

• The interior walls are in good condition in the newer buildings.

• The administration area’s carpet should be replaced but the floor tiles are in good condition.

• Most of the doors throughout the school are in good condition and only need some minor touch-up paint on the frames.

• Corridor and hallway ceilings and flooring are in good condition.

• The media center has some possible mechanical or roof leaks.

• Bathroom ceiling tiles need to be replaced. The sinks and toilet fixtures are in good condition. There are a couple of restrooms that are very small and do not meet Americans with Disability Act standards.

• Overall, floors and ceilings in classrooms were in good condition. The older classroom wings are not in good condition and need lots of repairs.

Whittaker Elementary School

The 72,886-square-foot school at 790 Whittaker Parkway in Orangeburg was built in 1955.

The school has undergone a number of additions and renovations over the years. They include: a 1962-1965 classroom wing addition at the back of the school; a media center addition in 1981 and a newer classroom wing added in 2001.

The school has about 407 students for a utilization rate of about 44%.

Overall, the new portion of the school is in good condition with only minor repairs needed. However, the older classroom wings are not in good condition and need lots of repairs to ceiling tiles, flooring and windows.

The walkway canopies are in really bad condition.

The district spends about $155,822 a year on energy costs.

Exterior observations

• The downspouts and gutters need lots of repairs on the older classroom wings.

• The majority of the exterior building appears to be in good condition.

• The windows are in good condition. The older classroom wings need lots of repairs and the study recommends replacing them.

• The exterior doors need door hardware repairs. On the older sections, they need lots of repairs and the study recommends replacing them.

• The manufactured walkway covers and canopies are old and leaking in spots. The study recommends replacing these.

• The older classroom wings are all accessed from the exterior of the building and do not have corridors. Classroom doors open directly to the outside. This is a potential security issue.

• Water drainage issues are between the older classroom wings and media center. The grading in this area is poor and doesn’t have the necessary catch basins and stormwater piping to carry water away from the building.

Interior observations

• No fire sprinkler system.

• Smoke detectors throughout the school.

• The interior walls and are in good condition in the newer buildings.

• The administration area’s flooring is in good condition.

• Most of the doors throughout the school (except in the older sections of the school) are in good condition and only need some minor touch-up paint on the frames. However, in the older classroom wings, these doors need lots of hardware repairs and touch-up paint.

• Ceilings and flooring in corridors and hallways are in good condition.

• The media center has roof leaks.

• Bathroom floor tiles need to be replaced in some areas. The sinks and toilet fixtures are in good condition. The older sections need repairs.

• Classroom ceilings and flooring were in overall good condition. The older classroom wings are not in as good of condition and need lots of repairs.