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Classrooms taking shape at Colony Oak
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MAYOR ROAST

By: HIME ROMERO

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Reconstruction at Colony Oak Elementary School continues to move forward despite the current wet conditions.

At the March 12 Ripon Unified school board meeting, Deanna Shirlock and Katie Anderson, both project managers for CT Brayton & Sons Construction of Escalon indicated that the permanent classrooms are begin to take shape for the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) campus.

Colony Oak is part of the voter-approved $25.2 million in Measure G projects. Weston Elementary School was the other half of the plan completed a few years earlier.

The difference between the two lease-leaseback projects, according to Superintendent Siegrid ‘Ziggy’ Robeson, is that work on Colony Oak is taking place at a time of escalating costs to construction and materials. Then couple that with Colony Oak being located just outside city limits with the site needing a retention basin and leach field.

The school board approved the funding to complete the project, using $1.169 million from developer fees.

“Basically, we’re loaning to ourselves,” Robeson said.

As for the construction update, Anderson noted that site utility lines and site electrical are complete pending completion of the well site.

The new septic system and leach field are now connected to the existing campus and fully operational – San Joaquin County inspectors have since approved the system, Anderson added.

The test well has also been completed with a casing being installed to protect it for future use.

Coordination with PG&E on utilities for new service has begun.

The new campus is beginning to take shape.

Shirlock mentioned that footings were recently poured in two of the buildings (Building F & G) – walls for Building G is complete and pre-framing of the other buildings continues – while the footings have been dug out for Buildings A & B.

As scheduled, the school board will continue to hear updates on Colony Oak at the next month’s meeting.