Gulf Shores, Ala. – (OBA) – As soon as school is out for the summer, Gulf Shores will embark on a renovation of two older buildings at the elementary school to make them more like two newer buildings on the campus and being built.

To make sure all the pieces are in place for a tight timeline, Public Works Director Noel Hand said he’s ready to order some items that normally take time to get.

“It's going to take 67 days and that’s seven days a week,” Hand said. “We’re trying to expedite the construction because we only have a finite amount of time to do the work. Tomorrow for instance we’re going to be opening bids on the cabinetry. These long lead time items we need to go ahead and get these coming. If not as soon as the general contractor takes over he doesn’t have enough time to take over. We’re trying to expedite this and fast track it.”

At the March 27 council meeting, Gulf Shores passed a contract with Brabner and Hollon for fire rated doors, frames and hardware for elementary renovations on buildings 200 and 300 for $206,600 to start this process.

Superintendent Dr. Matt Akin said the goal of the work is to bring the two older buildings in line with the new Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics lab and new building that will be ready in the fall.

“We have several items the first of which was our STEAM building and we’re building an eight-classroom addition and part of the masterplan is to renovate the rest of the elementary school to bring it up to where the new buildings are,” Akin told the council at its March 20 meeting. “We’re trying to create and expand our collaborative learning environment and we’re going to do that by renovating classrooms and hallways and upgrading the furniture.”

The newer buildings are designed with classrooms that can be open air and contain learning areas for small groups along hallways as well as in hallways.

“So, our goal is to go into the 200 and 300 buildings, those buildings are older, and create the same environment,” Akin said. “We want all of our students and all of our teachers to be able to take advantage of this learning environment. Put in new floors, new cabinets, furniture.”

While the space to work is built into the hallways in the new buildings but will have to be interspersed within the framework of the existing spaces in the older buildings.

“We’ll also renovate the hallways,” Akin said. “Right now, we have murals in those hallways. Those murals will continue to have scenes. For example, in the 200 building they are all patterned after ecosystems. The hallways in building 200 are more narrow than the STEAM lab so we’ll have doors and windows going into the classroom and that really gives teachers the opportunity for their kids to be working outside of the classroom. It will also have learning nooks similar to what we have in the steam lab. We’re going to brighten up the building, replace the ceiling panels as well.”

Akin said the school board will look at similar renovations in buildings 100 and 400 once this project for work in buildings 200 and 300 is complete. Estimated costs for all the renovations at the school is about $3.1 million.

During the meeting, the council also:

• Awarded the primary contract for disaster recovery assistance following a natural or manmade disaster to CrowderGulf, also the current holder of the primary contract. D&J Enterprises have a secondary contract for recovery assistance.

• Accepted a proposal from Skipper Consulting for $31,300 to update traffic signal coordination of new lights at East Second Street and beach road and West Second Street on beach road. The goal is to integrate the new lights into the current traffic signal system.

• Authorized the mayor to sign a contract with Barge Design Solutions to create a master plan for the airport for $151,619.

• OK’d an annexation request from Mr. and Mrs. John Whiting at 4714 County Road 6 near Gulf Shores Fire Department Station No. 4.

• Approved an amendment to the criminal code of ordinances to prohibit dropping items from balconies, rooftops or other elevated places. Chief Ed Delmore said his department has received complaints about items being dropped.

• Awarded the bid for mosquito control products to Target Specialty Products, BWI, ADAPCO and Clark Mosquito Control for $30,000.

• Authorized the mayor to approve the revised KONE elevator service contract to remove the former Sacred Heart medical building behind the South Baldwin freestanding emergency room in the event the building is sold.

• Approved a memorandum of understanding with Gulf State Park for the city to use the state park pier for its annual Fourth of July fireworks display. The council will also discuss allowing the mayor to enter into an agreement with Pyro Shows to provide the show at a cost of $36,500.

• Approved the assembly permit for the Phinman Youth Triathlon on Sept. 4 at the Bodenhamer pool and in Sims Park.

• Approved a change in an ordinance on an agreement with Coastal Resort Properties on the Waterway Boulevard East extension which will run through CRP land. Coastal was required to provide the city with a letter of credit or $1.215 million. To date Coastal paid $384,918 to the city on this obligation in January leaving a balance of $830,081. The amendment would remove the letter of credit requirement and Coastal will pay the full balance to a city escrow account.