Administration &
Services Center

250 Second Street
Lapeer MI  48446
phone:  (810) 667-240
1

Bond Updates …
 

Earth movers, asphalt crews, demolition and skilled trades workers have been busy over the summer starting the rebuilding authorized by voters in May 2007.

Remodeled media centers, with new computer equipment and furniture, are in place at every elementary school, as well as Lapeer East and Lapeer West High Schools.  The District is also undergoing other significant changes, not so readily visible.

High School Trimesters begin this fall; elementary schools will be offering a new and improved way to deliver technology education; and the class schedule at Zemmer Junior High School will also be new.

The new All Day Alternate Day Kindergarten, which has been popular with parents, will make its debut in September. The planning for these changes involved every department and employee group in the District as well as parents.

“We are excited and pleased with the challenge of major work projects to ready our schools for the new century and the continued improvement of our academic program,” said Superintendent Debbie Thompson.

Most readily noticeable are the physical changes.

Before the passage of the 2007 bond, a “normal” summer would see the District spending between $150,000 and $200,000 on technology improvements. This summer Director of Technology Nick Ward and his staff oversaw and helped with the installation of new media centers and computer labs in all the elementary schools, Lapeer East and Lapeer West High School, as well as classroom data projectors and document cameras, at a cost of about $1.5 million.

In a “normal” summer the District’s Operations Department would deal with hundreds of repair requests from our many buildings. No small task in any year, but on top of those issues this year, the Operations Department has been actively supervising more than $140,000 in District maintenance projects.  With the completion of major renovations financed by the 2003 sinking fund, the District is focused on a vigorous maintenance program to preserve and protect the new buildings, parking lots, roofs and utility infrastructure made possible by the voters.

This summer parking lots at Lynch, Maple Grove, Mayfield, Schickler, Turrill and the north lot at Lapeer West High School were sealed and re-striped in order to extend the life of those previously completed projects. Other work included:

  • Lynch:  Repairs were made to the bus loop, chimney, and a gate installed at the cafeteria.

  • Maple Grove:  A dumpster pad was installed and new road flashers were installed for enhanced safety.

  • Turrill: Sidewalk repairs made.

  • Lapeer East: Parking lot cameras were installed, repairs made to the portable steps, repairs made to the auditorium seating, athletic track re-lined and a new football practice field was installed.

  • Lapeer West: A ticket booth was installed, new shelving in the band/choir room, ceiling fans installed in gym and new fencing on the south side of the football field.

In the struggling Michigan economy, the $17 million Woodside project and the $2 million Cramton project are the largest ongoing building projects in the Genesee County and Lapeer County areas.  On any given day, about 60 workers, many of them skilled trades and local laborers, are working on the two major school building projects. In early August, skilled workers from many trades, plumbing, electrical and masonry were busy working at the two sites. Despite late July torrential rains, the two projects remain on, or ahead, of schedule.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the workers on our building projects are spending money here in Lapeer County further helping our local economy.

At the same time the District is working on plans for the next round of changes which will begin next summer with the start of construction on the middle school at the Zemmer site as well as the planning for a new academic program for our sixth, seventh and eighth graders.