CVCC expected to begin $5 million capital improvement project next summer

by John Benson

After a year of planning, Cuyahoga Valley Career Center is ready to move forward with a multi-year, $5 million capital improvement project in 2019.

“Over the course of four to five years, we’re going to replace some roofs, HVAC and ventilation, glass block windows and do some pavement repair,” CVCC Superintendent David Mangas said.

“We’re just making sure to do it the right way. Really, it just comes down to the fact that as the building ages, you want to make sure you’re taking care of it and you don’t have massive renovations.”

The school at 8001 Brecksville Rd. in Brecksville recently put out an invitation to bid for design professionals. If an architect is on board by late October, Mangas said that firm will provide guidance on hiring a contractor by the end of the year. The work is expected to begin next summer.

“Basically, all of the work will be done when school is out,” Mangas said. “There are four roof sections, so we’ll do one each per summer. If we think it through, you’d do the HVAC work during that first year while replacing a roof.

“Obviously you don’t want to replace a roof and then replace the HVAC a year later on a new roof.”

The roof and HVAC units have been replaced before, but Mangas believes the glass block windows along the roofline are original to the building, which is more than 45 years old.

“Basically, the roofing material goes right up to these glass block windows that kind of go all the way around the building as an architectural feature,” he said. “We’re going to make sure those are water tight and more energy efficient.”

The glass block windows aren’t leaking, but over time the mortar joints have become compromised, letting moisture inside.

Money for the capital improvement project is coming out of the CVCC general fund. Mangas characterized the upgrades as proactive maintenance.

“Basically we’re doing this project within our budget,” Mangas said. “That way, we can maintain the building so additional dollars are not required. We’re not going to have any kind of permanent improvement levy or bond issue to do these repairs.

“By phasing it in over time, that prevents CVCC from having a large one-time project that we would not be able to afford through our operating budget.”

CVCC is the career technical campus for high school and adult training in the Cuyahoga and Summit County school districts of Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Garfield Heights, Independence, Nordonia Hills, North Royalton, Revere and Twinsburg.

In addition to serving more than 25,000 K-12 students annually, nearly 3,000 adults from 25 different communities receive career training.