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Colony Oak work at least a year away
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Reconstruction at Colony Oak Elementary School could be at least a year away from breaking ground.

So says Khushroo Gheyara of Program Management Integration.

At Monday’s Ripon Unified school board meeting, the CEO of the Orinda firm indicated that work on the Measure G project will focus on the building of permanent classrooms to replace the “deteriorating portables.”

Cost is projected at about $11 million. Of that, $10.9 million would be made possible by the voter-approved bond measure and the balance is earmarked from board-approved funds, according to Gheyara.

He added that lease / lease back method will be used once construction begins.

“Lease / lease back was highly successful at Weston Elementary School (project) — cost for change orders weren’t as substantial,” Gheyara said.

With the emphasis on the construction of the classrooms, he pointed out anything after that would go to site work and re-doing the parking lot.

But the design phase is first in line.

Meetings are scheduled at the school for the next two weeks.

The first of the two was Thursday with the design advisory committee while next Thursday will be open to the Colony Oak community.

“We’re still looking for an architect,” Gheyara said.

This process would be followed by the work and completion on the design and, later, approval of those plans by the Division of State Architect in Sacramento.

“One thing that will be unique about this project is there will be no shuffling of kids (to other RUSD school sites). They’ll remain at the school as the new buildings are being constructed (around the existing structures),” said Gheyara.

For information on the Colony Oak meetings, call the school at 209.599.7145 or call the district office at 209.599.2131.