City Continues Commitment to School District Upgrades
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PAWTUCKET ??? In a joint effort between Mayor Donald R. Grebien, the City Council, School Committee, and the Pawtucket School Department, the City of Pawtucket???s schools have been the focus of a $76.9 million health and safety investment. These improvements, which include improvements to security and facilities, have been made possible by the overwhelming support of Pawtucket residents through the approval of several major bond referendum questions.
While the most visible improvements have been those to Potter Burns and Nathaniel Greene, all 17 of Pawtucket???s public schools have received major health and safety upgrades. These include security upgrades in all schools such as card readers on all entryways to the school, fire safety improvements such as sprinkler systems, improved communications systems, and secure entry vestibules. Traffic safety is also being taken into consideration, with new sidewalk alcoves being installed for drop off and pick up, as well as several parking lot changes to discourage cut through activity.
???School safety has been a growing national concern over the last few years,??? said Mayor Donald R. Grebien. ???We want to make sure that our students are provided with a safe environment to learn and succeed in.???
In addition to security upgrades, all schools will be receiving upgrades to their facilities and systems throughout the coming years. This includes improvements to HVAC systems, boilers, restrooms, and facility upgrades such as parking lot improvements and exterior upgrades.
???Ensuring our students have the best possible facilities available to them is of the utmost importance to us,??? said School Superintendent Patricia DiCenso. ???Our students deserve a safe, clean, and healthy environment so they can properly learn, grow, and succeed, and through this program of reinvestment in our schools, we are quickly achieving that goal.???
???The transformation of our school buildings is the result of a team effort. The Mayor’s administration along with the Council and School Department have created an environment where all stakeholders have a voice and the results speak for themselves,??? said Pawtucket School Committee Chairperson Gerard Charbonneau.
???Investing in our Schools??? infrastructure is a huge part of improving Pawtucket,??? said Mayor Grebien, ???Over half of our school facilities are more than 50 years old. And while we wish to preserve the historic architecture of our older buildings, we must make sure that our students are provided with the best learning environment, weather that be providing them with the latest technology or making sure the heat is reliable in the wintertime.???
On top of the improvements made to the existing school facilities, the Pawtucket School Department has acquired a new building, the former St. Leo???s School on Central Avenue. This facility has been instrumental to the renovations at Nathaniel Greene and Potter Burns, acting as a swing school during construction. The Pawtucket School Annex, as it is now called, allowed the two major projects to be completed much fast than they ever could have been otherwise, which in turn saved the taxpayers a great deal of money.
Going forward, more infrastructure improvements are planned for the City???s 17 schools. So far, $47 million has been invested into School infrastructure, with another $29 million in improvements slated to begin this year or already underway. Below is a list of all planned, ongoing, and completed infrastructure projects at the Pawtucket School District as of August 2018.
- Major Renovations
o???? Potter-Burns Elementary School
o???? Nathanael Greene Elementary School
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- Purchase of Existing School
o???? Pawtucket School Annex (Formerly St. Leo???s)
- Installation of ID Card Access System
o???? 286 Main Street Building
o???? Baldwin Elementary School
o???? Cunningham Elementary School
o???? Curtis Elementary School
o???? Curvin-McCabe Elementary School
o???? Fallon Elementary School
o???? Little Elementary School
o???? Nathanael Greene Elementary School
o???? Pawtucket School Annex
o???? Potter-Burns Elementary School
o???? Varieur Elementary School
o???? Winters Elementary School
o???? Goff Middle School
o???? Jenks Middle School
o???? Slater Middle School
o???? Shea High School
o???? Tolman High School
- Security Upgrades
o???? 286 Main Street Building
o???? Baldwin Elementary School
o???? Cunningham Elementary School
o???? Curtis Elementary School
o???? Curvin-McCabe Elementary School
o???? Fallon Elementary School
o???? Little Elementary School
o???? Nathanael Greene Elementary School
o???? Potter-Burns Elementary School
o???? Varieur Elementary School
o???? Winters Elementary School
o???? Goff Middle School
o???? Jenks Middle School
o???? Slater Middle School
o???? Shea High School
o???? Tolman High School
- Select Classroom Renovations
o???? Baldwin Elementary School
o???? Winters Elementary School
o???? Jenks Middle School
o???? Pawtucket School Annex
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- Fire Code Upgrades
o???? 286 Main Street Building
o???? Baldwin Elementary School
o???? Cunningham Elementary School
o???? Curtis Elementary School
o???? Fallon Elementary School
o???? Goff Middle School
o???? Jenks Middle School
o???? Pawtucket School Annex
o???? Slater Middle School
o???? Shea High School
o???? Tolman High School
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- HVAC Upgrades
o???? Cunningham Elementary School
o???? Little Elementary School
o???? Jenks Middle School
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- Boiler Replacement
o???? Baldwin Elementary School
o???? Fallon Elementary School
o???? Goff Middle School
o???? Slater Middle School
o???? Shea High School
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- Restroom Upgrades
o???? Goff Middle School
o???? Slater Middle School
o???? Shea High School
o???? Tolman High School
- Building Exterior Upgrades
o???? Shea High School
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- School Site Upgrades
o???? Baldwin Elementary School
o???? Cunningham Elementary School
o???? Fallon Elementary School
o???? Winters Elementary
o???? Slater Middle School