Schools

Renovations in Woodland Hills Academy's Future

School board members agreed to proceed with renovations at the Woodland Hills Academy.

Woodland Hills School District officials are considering plans to partially renovate the Woodland Hills Academy building in Turtle Creek.

On Wednesday, the school board voted 6-2 to proceed with plans to renovate the school. The project is estimated to cost $12 to $15 million. Board members Tara Reis and Robert Tomasic dissented. Fred Kuhn was absent.

Officials have been discussing upgrading the 96-year-old building, which is located on Monroeville Avenue. The building—formerly the Turtle Creek High School—houses the K-6 Woodland Hills Academy and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

School board members said the renovations are needed to make the school safe enough for students, as well as handicap accessible.

"We are the Woodland Hills School District, and these are the schools that we as nine board members are required to maintain for the safety and the education of our students," said board member Colleen Filiak. "It is my unprofessional opinion that [the academy building] is becoming a safety issue.

"We need to make a move. This building isn't going to be renovated tomorrow. It's going to take two years."

The scope of the work includes:

  • Replacement of the front steps/porch, and repair/replacement of sidewalks within the property.
  • Repair or replacement of outside handrails and railings.
  • A partial renovation project where the HVAC, plumbing and electrical are replaced in "like-kind." 
  • Replacement of the fire alarm, telephone, clock and sound systems.
  • Air conditioning at the administration, guidance, nurse, library, auditorium, cafeteria and teaching spaces.
  • Replacement of casework, fire extinguishers, signs, water fountains, doors and hardware.
  • Partial replacement of floors, ceiling and teaching materials—chalkboard, marker boards and tackboard. Corridor lockers also will be repaired and repainted.

However, kitchen equipment, auditorium seating, auditorium ceilings and walls, and display cases will not be replaced. The scope of work also does not include the replacement of the roof, windows and panels, doors and hardware, site utilities, fencing or landscaping.

Asbestos will be removed where it is encountered.

The renovations will be funded from a remaining $20 million from a 2005 bond issue. Last year, the board and administration also considered spending about $20 million to fully renovate the school, but many said it was too expensive.

Some district officials and residents said they still aren't convinced that spending $15 million is fiscally responsible.

"What about every other building?" Reis asked. "There won't be any money left for anything else."

Churchill resident Margie Darbut said district enrollment has been declining, and spending $15 million would leave the district with only $5 million from the same bond issue to use for other projects.

"I don't know what's right or what's wrong," she said. "Fiscally, I am concerned about the finances of the district moving forward."

Turtle Creek Councilwoman Jill Henkel said the school is an important part of the district community.

"This building serves to remind everyone that the Woodland Hills School District is proud of its past and sees a bright future in the establishment of the Woodland Hills Academy," she said.

Henkel said that students at the academy "deserve to be in a building that, at the very least, can meet the demands of 21st century technology and be accessible to all who wish to use it."

Join Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Find out what's happening in Forest Hills-Regent Squarewith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Forest Hills-Regent Square