A Northside school is investing some $750,000 in projects this summer, but children and teachers likely won’t notice all of the improvements until after the first heavy storm of the school year.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is in the middle of a major drainage improvement project at the lower school, which includes installing new underground piping to stave off flash flooding from heavy storms.
The work also will include rebuilding the courtyards and redesigning them so they can be better used for outdoor instructional space.
Some trees – two live oaks – have also been removed as part of the project.
Construction got under way in early June and is expected to wrap up by August 1, said Kevin Lewis, St. Andrew’s associate head of school and chief financial officer.
Large cranes were on site at the Old Canton Road school last week.
“We’ve had some drainage issues with the amount of rain we’ve had this year,” he said. “We’re addressing it before it gets worse.”
The new piping will tie into the infrastructure upgrades that were put in place with the Early Childhood Center that was completed three years ago.
“Water has been building up in the courtyards when a heavy rain occurs. The ability for water to be removed quickly from those sites are part of this,” he said.
Water has also gotten into the school buildings there, but has not entered classrooms or affected day-to-day operations, Lewis said.
Fountain Construction is doing the work. Wier Boerner Allin, a Jackson architectural firm, is helping redesign the space to better accommodate learning.
St. Andrew’s Lower School is located on Old Canton Road just south of Meadowbrook Road. It serves students in three-year-old kindergarten through fourth grade. Approximately 500 children were enrolled there last year.
