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Termites create headache for gym renovation
by Johnny Whitfield, Wake Weekly Associate Editor
The challenge facing construction crews at the Rolesville Elementary School gymnasium grew a great deal when they discovered termites.
The bugs had eaten into the flooring support system -- a series of joists and frames that hold up the floor. Phil Jefferies, the project manager for the general contractor D.S. Simmons, said the unexpected surprise wouldn't keep crews from finishing their work on time. "It's like any other problem you find this late in a project. It causes some trouble, but we figured out what we needed to do to address the problem," Jefferies said. The damaged sections of the support system will be replaced. What work crews won't be doing is rebuilding the gymnasium floor. Inspections revealed that the floor was not infested with termites and didn't need to be replaced. The damage from those termites in the wood underneath the floor will cost about $22,600, according to Wake County school system spokesman Kristin Wood. "That money will come from a contingency fund that we budget for every project we do," Wood said. The budget for the entire project is $2 million, Wood said. The work includes adding air conditioning to the gymnasium, renovating bathrooms and office space for the physical education staff and replacing the public address system and the basketball goals, among other projects. Renovating the school's gymnasium is somewhat unusual for the Wake County School System, which has preferred to build multi-purpose rooms with other renovation projects. Rolesville Town Commissioner Frank Eagles said community support was an important part of the school system's decision to keep the gymnasium. It is one of only two buildings that remain from the original Rolesville High School campus. "That building was actually built by the community and given to the school," Eagles said. Rolesville Mayor Nancy Kelly said the community built the building for the school and sold it to the school system for $1. It is the only building in Rolesville, according to Eagles, that could hold a large crowd of people for a community event. Jefferies, the general contractor, said community support has often played a pivotal role in keeping old buildings from the wrecking ball. The gymnasium at Wake Forest Elementary was also preserved by residents who decried its destruction during planning for renovations at that school.
Last Updated On: June 24, 2004
Copyright 2004 The Wake Weekly