There is a flurry of activity at Little Miami Local Schools -- school is back in full swing and construction activities continue to move forward throughout the district.
Much of the buzz has been surrounding the district's three largest projects, which are now underway: the new high school addition, the new junior high school and the new 5/6 intermediate school. However, the district is also demonstrating its commitment to providing "Excellence With Value" by investing in district-wide improvements to its other facilities.
"Little Miami is committed to increasing the longevity of all our facilities," said Pat Dubbs, Director of Administrative Services.
The planning for the renovations has included extensive cost savings measures. The District utilized the House Bill 264 funding program for roof replacement, HVAC upgrades, window replacement, and lighting controls at the Welch Road Complex and at Maineville Elementary School. In order to qualify for the House Bill 264 funding, the school district demonstrated that the renovations will reduce the overall energy costs of the buildings and provide a 15-year payback.
"These improvements had originally been planned for the second phase of construction. We are using the HB 264 funding for energy conservation projects that make sense to do in conjunction with the current renovation projects. By moving ahead with the projects now, we are estimating an annual savings of $250,000 to $275,000," explained Mr. Dubbs.
Another cost savings measure utilized by the district was through the Duke Energy Efficiency Program, which provides incentive dollars to school districts for improving the energy efficiency in their schools. Little Miami applied for this program, which will result in approximately $20,000 in savings.
While the district has been fortunate and diligent with its efforts to provide value through cost savings approaches, it has also extended a charitable hand to the local Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD) Board. The district reviewed all the options for an unused generator at Morrow Elementary, including utilizing it in the renovations projects and the new facilities. With the power upgrades to the existing facilities and the power requirements of the new buildings, the generator from Morrow was not a compatible option. LMLS then researched the option of selling the generator to local businesses or organizations but found no interest. Ultimately, there was no way for the district to use the generator and none of the local businesses had an interest in purchasing it. The district has already built a great partnership with the MRDD by sharing resources. The MRDD has helped Little Miami with bussing issues in the past, so the district was happy to donate the generator to the Warren County Board of MRDD.
Here is a detailed look at renovation projects throughout the district:
Welch Road Complex:
Maineville Elementary School:
Butlerville Elementary School
Morrow Elementary School
District-wide
