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NBCHS: New gym to have foam-ready traditional roofing

The new gymnasium being built within the existing footprint of North Battleford Comprehensive High School will have a traditional roof, but Living Sky School Division has not given up on a future featuring foam roofing.
NBCHS pic

The new gymnasium being built within the existing footprint of North Battleford Comprehensive High School will have a traditional roof, but Living Sky School Division has not given up on a future featuring foam roofing.

During an update last week on the renovations going on at the high school in preparation for Grade 7 classes to be located there in the next school year, Facilities Manager Brian Bossaer assured the board of education the roof's second life could be one of spray foam.

Board Chair Ken Arsenault raised the subject of foam roofing, something the division has been researching as a way to keep up to roof replacement needs. It was hoped the recent tendering of roof replacement for Hafford School would be a test case for spray-on foam, however the only foam roofing bid to come in was too expensive. Bossaer and Chief Financial Officer Lonny Darroch, however, are continuing to pursue a resolution to the barriers that have kept spray foam from becoming commonplace in Saskatchewan.

"If that is the way we're going to go," said Arsenault. "it would be nice to have this building ready to go just for an applicator to put [foam] on in 20 years or so."

Bossaer agreed, saying the only thing that might prevent it is if building codes change.

As of last week, it was expected the gymnasium would be ready for use by the end of September.

"We could see a better updated schedule in the next number of weeks when they finish digging for the foundation of the gym," said Bossaer. "There are still questions and all those fears everybody's throwing out there about water."

Bossaer said the north wall footings are poured and the majority of the north south running wall is poured, and the contractor is ready to dig the south end.

"They want some wiggle room in case they hit water," he said. "We may have a more accurate schedule once that great unknown is there."

To keep everything on track a weekly meeting is held between those doing the work, the consultants and the division. From Living Sky, Bossaer, Darroch and Jim Shevchuk, one of the division's three superintendents, are among those who attend.

"It's very helpful to have the expertise we have representing us," said Shevchuk. "I think they are representing the owner's interests in a very positive and tenacious way."

He also said the contractors understand how important it is to the division to let Living Sky's stakeholders in the community know they're on track.

"We've made these commitments, we've put ourselves out there, so it's our integrity in the community, also, and they understand that," he said.

In addition to the gymnasium, work is to be done in classroom areas over the summer as well. Bossaer said those areas are still intended to be completed before the beginning of the new school year.

Bossaer has made a proactive request that in the case of these educational spaces all the trades get together and site visit those areas and identify what they have to do ahead of time to avoid any potential problems,

"So July 1 everything is not an unknown."

Additional work will be tendered soon to add more classroom space by repurposing several areas.

Darroch said once the tender closes and is awarded, the school will make those spaces available.

"So, potentially," he said, "work could start prior to summer to be done well before the end of August."

"I attend more as an observer and am really learning a lot about concrete."