Message from the WJHSD
Facilities Department
The West Jefferson Hills School District Facilities
Department is gearing up for another busy summer.
While the students and staff will be enjoying their
summer vacations and afternoons at the pool, the
Facilities Department will be busy getting the schools
ready for next year. The summer will be filled with
cleaning of schools, waxing of floors and performing
preventive maintenance at all of the District’s Facilities.
WE ST J E FFE RSO N H IL L S SC HO O L DI ST RIC T NE WS
est Jefferson Hills
This summer, there are two major projects scheduled
to be completed. The roof of Jefferson Elementary will
be replaced and the retaining wall at the entrance of
Pleasant Hills Middle School will be renovated and
refaced.
Jefferson Elementary is the largest elementary
school in the district. Built in the early 1990s, Jefferson
Elementary offered students a state-of-the-art learning
environment. Although Jefferson has continued to
evolve with 21st century learning and classroom
technology, and the maintenance staff has done a great
job maintaining the building and its systems, it is time to
start upgrading. After more than twenty-five years, the
roof is slated to be replaced this summer.
The roof replacement will begin on June 13, 2016,
and should take most of the summer. In an effort to
control costs, the Facilities Department took a unique
approach to this particular roof replacement project.
The District has the ability to purchase materials via a
state contract. This contract is negotiated based on the
66 West Jefferson Hills
buying power of the entire state. Therefore, this gives
the District access to prices well below what a contractor
or business could buy for the same materials. The
District then was able to solicit bids for the installation of
the replacement roof.
The District received seven bids for the work.
Strongland Roofing Systems of Vandergrift PA was the
low bidder and was awarded the contract to complete
the Jefferson roof replacement based upon job history,
qualifications and overall price. The total cost of the
project will be $589,286.28.
The retaining wall at Pleasant Hills Middles School
will also get a major facelift this summer. The sidewalk
and concrete retaining wall are starting to crack and
show signs of age, and the handrails need to be replaced
to allow for expansion and contraction. Currently, the
District is working with WTW Architects to put together
a plan to address all the needs of the retaining wall. Both
projects should be completed by the end of summer.
The West Jefferson Hills School District Facilities
Department would like to wish everyone a happy and
safe summer vacation.
Ryan Snodgrass
West Jefferson Hills School District
Director of Facilities