Thursday 31st March
We have been informed today that the scaffolding will go up in ONE week from today – on Friday 8th April.
Thursday 24th March
The Scaffolding will NOT go ahead tomorrow as previously announced. This is because of bad weather, which means the conditions are too dangerous to work in.
At this point it would appear that there will be a delay of ONE WEEK and the scaffolding will be erected on FRIDAY 1st APRIL
Friday 18th March:
Today the scaffolding was removed from the front of the building, and it has been confirmed that it will be erected NEXT Friday at the back of the building. Over the next week, the areas covered by the scaffolding should be sanded, plastered and pained (across the front of the building). In addition, the Crocodiles garden should be cleaned up, restored and steamed to make it ready for children’s occupation again, and walkway across the front of the building (via the former buggy parking area) to access the garden.
We hope that the back door to Crocodiles will remain accessible once the scaffolding is put up. We are working with the construction team to have a ‘bridge’ built to enable this door to be used.
Friday 25th March (next week) the scaffolding will be put up at the back of the building, which will mean that the decking area and Pandas side garden will be out of action. Children who are attending Friday club will need to enter via the main door.
On Friday 25th, after we understand exactly how the scaffolding is installed and how accessible all the areas are, we will establish a new drop off and pick up protocol for the period of the works. We are hoping that the works at the back will last only 6-8 weeks.
Thursday 17th March:
Today we have received confirmation that the scaffolding will be taken down tomorrow (Friday 18th March). This will happen during Friday club and into the afternoon.
Friday club will open as usual, but we may have to restrict the children’s use of the outside space. We may also move the children around the building to different classrooms if the noise of de-construction or work has an impact on the children.
If anyone would prefer to keep their child off of Friday club tomorrow, and would like to swap the Friday for 2 late club sessions, please message Sammy (+972542416146) today to confirm this.
There will be an independent Health and Safety inspector here tomorrow (separate from the contractors or scaffolding company) who is working on our behalf to ensure and check the safe removal of the scaffolding. His name is Alon Ben David.
If at this stage or at any other stage you have more questions, please submit your queries via our dedicated form and your questions along with the answers will be published on this webpage:
The Form can be found here: https://forms.gle/uEb4F3q33XR1VTqq7
Thursday 10th March:
It seems that we are now drawing to the end of the first stage of the works on the building and have been informed that the team are ready to move to stage two.
I wanted to write to you immediately, so that you are as up-to-date as we are, although some arrangements are still not completely clear.
On Tuesday 15th March; the nets on the scaffolding will be removed. This is so that the re-painting of the building and the work carried out can be clearly visible from the outside. This is required in order for City Hall to inspect the work, and sign off phase one as complete.
If this inspection goes according to plan, the scaffolding may then be removed. If not, some more (probably minor) work may be required to bring the building up to code, but we have been told that further work would be unlikely.
Once the building has sign-off, the scaffolding may be removed. We have provisionally scheduled this for Friday 18th March. There will be some noise outside while the scaffolding is removed. However when the scaffolding was erected, the noise that could be heard inside the building was actually minimal. We have requested a special safety supervisor to be on site at Rainbow on the 18th, and we will work with the contractor to move the Friday Club to areas of the building least affected by the work. Any parents with concerns about the removal of the scaffolding during Friday Club are advised to stay off gan for that week, and claim two more late club sessions if you wish.
During the week of Sunday 20th March to Thursday 24th March, the RIGHT side garden (by Crocodiles) will be cleansed, steam cleaned and renewed so it is viable for children’s occupation once again. A tunnel/bridge will be erected to allow access to the Crocodiles back door, and the former buggy park will be cleared and a walkway created so that children can enter the garden from the front door during the day. Once all this work is approved by Thursday 24th March), the scaffolding will be ready to be erected on the back and left side of the building for phase two to begin.
We have provisionally scheduled the scaffolding to be erected on Friday 25th March. The same arrangements about access, Friday club, noise and attendance will apply, as detailed above for the week of the 18th.
We have been told that the work schedule for phase 2 of the building is significantly less than phase 1, and work should be completed far more quickly. We are hoping 6 – 8 weeks only, maybe even quicker.
As these dates and details become final, we will inform you accordingly. So for now, this is just an update in terms of what we are expecting to happen in the coming weeks!
If at this stage or at any other stage you have more questions, please submit your queries via our dedicated form and your questions along with the answers will be published on the webpage:
The Form can be found here: https://forms.gle/uEb4F3q33XR1VTqq7
The webpage ca be found here: https://rainbow-nursery.info/construction-work/
Many thanks for your support and understanding, whilst these essential works take place.
Sammy
Monday 15th November
The work has been causing some noise today and some yesterday afternoon. Most children have not been distressed at all by the noise of the drilling. It is not constant, but tends to be in short bursts, so it can be noisy for a short while, and then quiet, and then the cycle repeats. The team have contacted the parents of the few children who were finding the work difficult, but this has been only two children. It helps for parents to give reassuring messages about the work to your children. Promising to come and pick up children if they hear noise can raise anxiety levels for children – please be reassured, we will contact you if we need to! If rooms have been particularly noisy, we have been moving children around, and using other parts of the building which are not noisy.
In a few areas there has also been some dust fall, we have cleaned this up, as soon as we have seen it, and notified the workers, where possible we have requested extra sheeting or protection.
We are working very hard, with this challenging situation, to ensure that children are safe. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
We hope that by the end of this week the drilling phase will be finished. It may be even sooner than the end of the week. We are told that this is the most disruptive part of the work.
Some of the children are very much enjoying the work, and have taken full advantage of the learning opportunities afforded to us by having construction work taking place! They like looking out the window to see what’s happening!
Sunday 14th November
It is likely that there will be drilling along the two-sides of the building this entire week. The constructors are not working between 12-2 with any noise, to allow for children’s sleep and rest. The noise can be heard in the classrooms, but so far is not causing distress to the children, we obviously continue to monitor this closely.
Friday 5th November
Today the scaffolding has been erected on two sides of the building. A wall has been built in the garden to separate the Crocodiles garden from the rest of the site. See picture below.
To access the Crocodiles classroom please enter via the Panda’s gate and walk across the decking.
We are still expecting another wall/partition to be built separating the Panda side garden from the works.
On Sunday 7th November, we have been informed that there will be NO NOISY WORK. On Sunday nets will be installed on the scaffolding, and various bodies (including City Hall) will come to check the site is safe before work will start. So, at least until Monday, there will be no actual construction on the building, and so those worried about noise should be FINE to attend gan on Sunday, as usual. We will keep you posted.
Tuesday 2nd November
The written confirmation from the children’s expert safety engineer has now come through, and can be seen below, and downloaded. Nitzan Kristal is an independent safety engineer and expert who will oversee the work, and check periodically that all safety protocols remain in place, and all steps are taken to ensure children’s safety:
Monday 1st November
The City Hall have now re-approved the works, and the ‘blue-book’ detailing the works has been signed off by the Education, Security and Engineering departments at City Hall. This is after they received our list of concerns regarding the building work.
We have also received a letter from the Asbestos and Poison unit in the City Hall to confirm that there is no asbestos or toxic materials which have been previously used on the building.
It is therefore likely that the scaffolding will be erected this coming Friday (5th November). We will use only the Pandas’ side of the building. There could be substantial noise during the building of the scaffolding. Some families may wish to keep their children home from Friday club, instead of coming to gan if you wish to avoid the noisy erection.
If, this happens (as we have been informed) the work on the building is therefore likely to start on Sunday 7th November.
Sunday 24th October 3pm:
We met again with the contractor this morning, and were able to discuss many of the parents’ concerns and questions’. In the meeting was one of the gan parents, who sought to represent some of the views, concerns and queries that parents had. The Parent is an architect, building project manager, and has two children in the gan.
Following on from today’s meeting with the contractor, conversations and work that took place over the weekend, and further communication with the landlord, a further update is included below:
BACKGROUND:
There seems to be some concern amongst the parent groups that the building at Yavne 2 is in some way unsafe and may fall down at any moment. This is very much NOT the case. Or that the City Hall has mandated work to be carried out on the building; again – this is NOT the case.
At the request of parents, we are laying out here the events that led up to the work being scheduled
1. Almost 2 years ago we contacted the landlord about cracks on the exterior of the building, and peeling and crumbling in places on the outside – we wanted to ensure that in no way the cracks and crumbling suggested any risk
2. Initially the landlord did not want to undertake any work, or deal with these cracks at all. However, we insisted that an engineer check the building to ensure it is completely safe
3. About 18 months an independent engineer came to check these ‘cracks’ on the outside of the building, and the balconies.
4. The engineer reported back to the landlord that to prevent the cracks from getting worse and to prevent crumbling on the outside of the building; work needed to take place. Our concern has always been that plaster and even concrete from the outside of the building could fall down and cause injury or damage below. The concern has NEVER been that the building is unsafe or might fall down.
5. The landlord agreed that the work can be sanctioned, and (after much negotiation) that they will pay for the work
6. The landlord had another engineer come to determine exactly what work needed to take place. At this stage, we understood that there would be a need to erect scaffolding in order for the work to be carried out
7. Because the building has ‘protected’ status (Shimoor); City Hall must be involved in the planning and approval of the works.
8. Over the last year numerous inspectors, engineers and building inspectors from City Hall have visited the gan to review the situation with the building, and to decide whether, and what work should take place
9. Three months ago, the last update that we had was that we were waiting for City Hall to grant the required permissions for the work to be carried out. We understood that this could take considerable time, many months, possibly years
10. On Wednesday last week, we were informed that the work would start immediately, meaning that permission had been granted by City Hall and contractors had been appointed. It is bizarre that we not informed of progress step by step and understood before Wednesday that the work is imminent however we need to stress that the planning and lead up to this work has been in the pipeline for almost two years. And, that the request to ‘fix’ the building came from us in the first place.
11. Whilst the scaffolding is on the building, the City Hall, along with the owner of the building have extended the brief to include the restoration of the window/frames – as the wood around the windows is in bad condition, and where necessary some waterproofing at the bottom of the building.
UPDATE:
Since the email sent out on Thursday, we have some new and updated information
1. We have requested that engineers from City Hall review the plans, work schedule and come to undertake a site visit, and confirm in writing that the children can be in the building whilst the works are carried out. No work will begin until we have this authorisation from the City Hall building control. An engineer will visit our site on 26th October.
2. Our insurance company has reviewed the plans and the contractor’s insurance and approvals and given authorisation for the work to be undertaken during usual occupancy of the building
3. The landlord has agreed to contract with an independent safety inspector/engineer who will provide additional oversight of the project at each phase, and sign off on safety aspects
CLARIFICATION ON WORKS:
1. All works will be on the exterior of the building
2. The restoration work in relation to the windows will now almost certainly all take place without the removal of the windows, and from the outside only. There may be some exceptions, in which case, we will deal with these on a case by case basis, and arrange specifically how, when and where the work will take place in a way that is suitable to the operation of the gan
3. The work taking place to remove plaster and repair iron rods is NOT wholescale, but localised to areas of the building where cracks are visible and repair work needs to take place. This means that the work does NOT include complete removal of the face of the building, and subsequent rebuilding of the entire facade. The work is localised and includes ONLY areas that need attention.
4. No toxic materials will be used on the repair of the building, and no toxic materials will be removed from the building. All works relate to toxic free materials.
5. The areas with scaffolding will be completely separated from the areas in the garden where children will be able to access. A physical barrier will be built from wood that completely separates the area with fencing. This will keep the children totally separate from the work, and the workers totally separate from the children
6. Nets will be the scaffolding at all times
7. Children will not be outside at all during the period of constructing or descontructing the scaffolding
The contractor will also provide a ‘security/safety chief/supervisor’ (ממונה בטיחות) who will be onsite at all times.
ADDITIONAL SAFEGUARDING MEASURES
We understand that the main concerns of parents relate to dust and noise (aside from the fear that the entire building will fall down – which is NOT what we are dealing with here).
As per the previous communication, the dust and noise will ONLY happen in the first 4 – 5 days of work in each phase, whilst the relevant areas of the exterior are opened. After this, it is very unlikely that either noise or dust will cause a problem
In relation to the noise; we currently are unable to assess how loud the noise will be for these 4 – 5 days, and how significantly it will impact the children. The drilling will NOT come through the entire wall, and will be localised to areas that need to be open. We have been informed that from inside the building the noise is unlikely to be loud enough to cause upset or alarm to those in the building. If we find that this is NOT the case and the children are afraid or overwhelmed by the noise, we will shut the building for a few days to allow this work to be carried out.
The contractors have agreed that no noise at all during the children’s afternoon nap will take place (as per the previous communication).
In relation to dust, the contractors have agreed that:
1. Water will be used simultaneously to the work taking place to minimise the spreading of dust
2. The site will be immediately cleared, daily of any bags containing dust to avoid the continual spreading of dust
3, Bags stored on site containing plaster and materials removed from the building will be sealed or covered to minimise dust escaping
4. They will stop immediately, if we raise any concerns over safety, which includes excess dust
5. No windows will be removed, or worked on from the building during any phases that could generate dust
From the inside of the building, the additional measures that we can do:
1. Enhanced cleaning regimes in the gan, to remove dust on a daily basis
2. More regular cleaning and changing of air conditioning filters
3. Use of air purifiers in the rooms if this becomes needed or will be useful
4. Sealing/taping of windows where required from the interior
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
If you have additional questions based on the information we have provided today, please continue to use the google form to submit your queries. We will monitor all queries and continue to post any questions that have not already been answered on the webpage , along with the best answers that we can offer. Please check that your question has not already been asked by carefully reading the information on the webpage.
Click here to access the google form
WEB PAGE
We are continuing to post information on the construction webpage on our website each time we have an update, new questions or additional information. Please check in to this page and read the information carefully if you require updates. We would ask you to please READ the information carefully before contacting us with concerns.
Friday 22nd October 11:50am
Our insurance carrier has approved that the works can take place. However, we have contacted Tel Aviv City Hall Building Control division, and ask that City inspectors, along with the City Engineer come to visit the premises and carry out a final assessment, and provide us written confirmation that the works are safe to carry out whilst the building is occupied. City Hall have agreed to do that this week, and will visit on 27/10/21. In addition, we are holding another meeting with the contractor on 24/10/21 to explore questions posed by parents that we cannot answer. A parent, who is a qualified architect and experienced building works project manager will be joining this meeting.
Essential Construction work at Yavne 2
Below is is a list of questions we have received from parents and the published answers regarding the works. Below that is a detailed set of information (which we provided to parents via the newsletter) about the works.
Questions and Answers
1. Why close the Crocodiles side first, not the pandas side?
This is to maximise the play area space available for children during phase two of the works. The play space on the Crocodiles side is larger than on the Pandas side.
2. What confirmation do you have that the building is still safe? Will the drilling make the building less safe? Is this construction work that’s usually done on vacant buildings?
The City Hall engineer and inspection team have been several times to the building in recent months to carry out inspections and to approve the work taking place. It is the same city inspectors who are responsible for providing our licence to operate as a gan. If the building was unsafe, they would have ordered an evacuation without delay. The engineer has approved the work to go ahead whilst occupied, we believe this is commonplace
3. What is the exact problem with the building?
There are cracks in the exterior of the building, because it is old, and in need of repair. We understand the cracks are related to the metal rod-work inside of the walls that needs to be repaired to prevent the cracks worsening which could then lead to plaster from the exterior of the building falling off
4. Since the insurance is not in place yet, will work start on Sunday or can we assume that it will not? (posted 21/10/21)
The insurance is in place. The contractors have insurance and we have insurance to operate a gan. We have forwarded the schedule of works to our own insurers to check if they are happy for the work to go ahead whilst we are in the building, and that any work taking place does not in any way invalidate our insurance. Our insurance is provided by a specialist gan insurer. When our insurers confirm, the works will commence.
5. Do either the contract between the contractor and the landlord, or the lease you have with the landlord, specify air quality and noise pollution limits?
There is no provision in the lease we have with the owner about air quality or noise pollution.
6. Will the contractors have access to where the children are? Will they have background checks? What assurances can you provide about this?
The contractors will have no access at all to any areas where there are children, and they will not be permitted to enter the building. To the best of our knowledge, they have not had background checks, and we cannot provide any assurances about who these people are, we do not know them. The company is an approved provided by City Hall.
7. How can a steel structure be fixed without performing metalwork?
We do not know the answer to this. We have been told that the metal rods will be repaired and this will not involve metal work. We will request further details from the contractor, and post the information when it becomes available.
8. If the windows require restorative work, it is reasonable to assume that they are not sufficient to protect from dust incursion. What additional sealing measures will be taken to ensure the minimum amount of air pollution?
We do not believe that this is a reasonable assumption. This was at no time discussed as being the reasoning or rationale for the restorative work on the windows. We understand the restorative work is cosmetic, and relating to wooden frames around the window that are old and failing apart.
9. Has an environmental impact study been performed? (Not a site visit from a manager who thinks about impact on the usage of the gan, but an actual health/environmental impact study by a third party)
No.
10. Are there any options for children to stay home during this time and come back once construction is completed? Would tuition fees be reduced or eliminated during this period?
There is always an option to stay home. But, we would be unable to offer fee remission if you choose to do this, as we would not be able to afford to cover the costs of staffing and operations without fees.
11. Why can they not work at night starting 4:30?
We have been told this is not possible because the workforce comes from Nebulas. They will finish work at 4pm each day. We have had no input at all in relation to selecting the contractor, we were only told by our landlord that the work would take place in 20th October. When we met with the engineer and contractor on 21st October; we tried to insist that work takes place after 4:30 and at weekends, they explained this is not their contract, they would be unable (like any company) to find workers to work these hours, and Saturday working, and working after certain hours during the week is forbidden. We have however insisted that the work required on the windows, where someone will need to enter the building must take place when there is no one here. They have agreed to try and accommodate this.
12. Is there another space nearby that can be rented during this time?
We don’t know of a space. To relocate the gan for 3 – 4 months would be an enormous undertaking. We have been told by the project engineers that this is not necessary, however, if when the works starts, we reach the conclusion that it is not possible to work safely under these conditions, or the conditions become detrimental to the children’s wellbeing then we will continue to explore this option more aggressively. The permit that the landlords have received to carry out this work is time limited, so it seems it will not be possible to delay the works whilst we search for alternative sites, and re-locate. We considered the possibility of moving a few groups to another space, and moving the children who stay in the building around the building to the least affected areas. But, almost all works are being undertaken outside. We have tried already to contact today any connections we have in the area for accommodation, but have not been successful. To relocate could mean additional days of closure, and the possibility of finding somewhere with outside space is very slim.
13. Is there a safety plan done by a third party?
No. We are unclear what kind of third party would carry out a safety plan for this situation. We were told yesterday that this was taking place, the city hall engineers have however approved the works (see question 2). We met with the contractor today (21/10/21) and have created a plan and schedule of work, including how outside areas will be completely sectioned off. We will continue to risk assess as work starts, and if there are unsafe situations we will take action
14. If the window work is purely cosmetic, then why is it being performed as part of essential work for the safety of the building?
Please refer to question 8. We have not been given a specific rationale by the landlord as to why this was included in the schedule of works, we have just been informed that it is happening. However, we agree that windows are in bad condition, especially the wooden frames, as stated in the answer to number 8 above.
15. I am deeply concerned with the risk of micro-dust particles coming off the plaster and remaining in the air inside the gan (for 3 months??), as well as the very loud noise – for hours continuously- and its impact on children and staff mental and physical health. Have you approved this with pediatric health experts?
No consultation or approval with paediatric health workers has taken place nor is it required. The work is taking place is outside the gan and not inside the gan. We are also concerned about dust, we will increase the cleaning regime, and work with the contractors to reduce however and wherever possible. As per the information below, we have been informed that the noise will be only for 4-5 days in each of the two phases of the work. If the impact of the noise has a crippling affect on child and adult mental health, we will have to close for these days to carry out the works.
Before coming into Yavne we stripped the plaster and re-plastered most of the inside walls with out own contractors. The dust situation was manageable. We do not know how this will compare to the situation we are now facing. This is a concern we share. If the situation becomes untenable, we will need to consult on closing the gan, or need to relocate whilst the work is being carried out, and remain closed until a suitable location can be found; however this is a situation we want to avoid.
16. Will noise levels be properly measured (by decibel meter) throughout the work?
We will not be measuring sound using a decibel meter. If the children become distressed for any sustained period, we will stop the work, and if necessary close the provision whilst the noisy work takes place, or move the children to other spaces in the building which are less noises. We have been told the noise will be only for 4-5 days in each phase of the works.
17. What method will be used to strip the plaster from the exterior walls and dispose of it?
We do not know. We will pass this question to the contractors.
18. Will air quality indoors be properly monitored throughout the work?
There are no plans to monitor air quality at this time, it can be something that we look into, and if we are concerned we can follow up with this suggestion.
19. My main concern is collapse risk (both current and while construction is held). It will be very helpful to see the engineer’s report to better undertand the situation.
The cracks in the building risk plaster materials crumbling off the building and posing danger to those below to have crumbling plaster coming down. The problems are not with the safe structure of the building. The engineers from City Hall have attended the property on multiple occasions in relations to this work, and have made the approvals for the work to go ahead. Please see Question 2. We have now requested a copy of an engineer report.
20. In my opinion, it is very important to have a second opinion by an external building engineer/ constructor regarding the safety during construction works. Do you agree?
Yes. As of 22/10/21 11:45 we have just received confirmation from City Hall, that following our request a City Hall Engineer will visit Yavne 2 on 27th October and undertake a further assessment of the work, and confirm in a written report that the work is safe to progress whilst the building is occupied by children and staff. Following this, the work will start. If the engineer is unwilling or unable to provide this positive written report; we will need to urgently consider alternative arrangements to enable the work to take place, either at this time, or some time in the future. This may mean a relocation for a period, however finding a suitable premises to enable this would be a challenge.
21. Did you receive the engineer’s report with the building’s current state? Please share it with us.
Please see Question 20 above.
22. Did you get a second opinion from another engineer?
Please see Question 20, and Question 2
23. How is it that they inform you yesterday about something that is starting on Sunday?
Please see the information provided below. The timeline of events is clearly laid out
24. What happens if the insurance says it’s not safe for the children to be there during the renovation?
The insurers have now approved the works (11:45am Friday 22/10/21)
25. Did you look in to temporarily relocating the gan?
Please see Question 12
26. Did the landlord gave you the engineer report?
Please see Question 20
27. Only one report have been done ?
Please See Question 20 and Question 2 and the Update published at the top of the page.
28. Will a supervisor be appointed or are you dealing with the contractor directly ?
There is a supervisor who is an engineer who will oversee the work and be onsite daily, he is part of the contractor organisation. We will be able to have daily contact with this person. The contract is with our landlord and not us. However, the landlord has directed that they should fully op-operate with us and meet any reasonable requests.
29. Are they going to put nets all around the scaffolding?
We have forwarded this question to the contractor. The scaffolding however will not be in areas that are accessible to children or parents or staff.
30. Would this generally be the type of work that is carried out on an empty building (i.e. without residents present)? How reliable are the landlord’s/engineer’s safety assurances? Are they in writing or merely given orally?
City Hall has approved this work to go ahead with us in the building. Please see update above, with reference to requesting written confirmation from City Hall engineers.
31. Given recent events in Israel where buildings needing urgent attention have been evacuated and collapsed from one day to the next, what assurances do we have from City Hall and the contractors that this building is actually safe for our kids to continue attending?
Please see update above, and response to Question 30
32. Is it not the case that drilling into a building that has cracks and needs urgent repairs could actually worsen the situation and make the building dangerous?
No – this is not what we have been told. Please see update above, in relation to written confirmation from City Hall Engineers regarding the safety of the project
33. Are there any alternative premises available should works be disruptive or too noisy/dusty/dangerous?
Please see question 12
34. What, if any, background checks (eg criminal background etc) are carried out on the construction workers? And is it guaranteed they will be nowhere near the children?
Please see Question 6
35. Are they building a dust fence? And using dust suppression materials? Also water washing
We will pass this question on to the contractor
36. Has it been tested that the building paint isn’t lead based since it’s so old?
We will pass this question to the contractor, and request this information from the City Hall inspectors.
37. Nightmare ??♀️
Yes – this is not ideal to say the least. We will work as hard as we can to minimise impact for everyone involved. We will need parents support and trust to do this
38. How are you going to make sure fresh air will enter the room if all windows need to be closed during the construction? The little kids get sick very easily and it concerns us that everyone closed in the building all the time will make everything even worse and will create a real problem for them.
The children all go to the garden and have outside time on a daily basis. This will not change. Most of the windows in the gan, as you already know, do not open so that there is no danger children will fall.
39. How are you going to ensure that the little kids will be able to sleep with all the noise going on and also not be scared of loud construction noises?
Please refer back to the information you have already been given: we have been told that the noise impact in the classrooms will be minimal, and whilst it can be heard, the noise should not be scary or overwhelming for the children. We have been told that the drilling on the exterior walls will last for 4 – 5 days in each phase of the work. Until the work starts, it is difficult to assess the impact that this may have on the children in the classrooms. If the noise is too significant, and the children are unhappy or distressed by this, we may have to consider closing the classrooms for a few days that are being affected. This is not something we can decide now, and will keep the noise situation under review.
In addition to this, we have agreed with the contractors that there will be no noise between 12:00 – and 2:30 when most of the children take their long nap.
40. Are you planning to take a safety health expert to make sure the dust and other materiel that will come out of the building during the construction are not toxic or dangerous for people and little kids especially?
Please see above, the update of Friday 22nd October at 11:50am. The City Hall Inspectors report will determine the safety for the children to be present.
41. Construction work also can create real danger as falling elements, crumbling walls, etc. How are you going to make sure the safety of the kids inside during the day and coming in and out of the building
Please read the section below entitled “Implementation” – this provides the answers to this question.
42. We are really concerned about the fact that the nursery management team instead of investing all of their time in the nursery daily operational problems and the education of our kids will need to deal with construction issues. how are you going to attack this issue?
Please refer to the section below entitled “Impact Assessment – Management Time’ this section provides the answers to this question
Background:
We have been in contact with our landlord for the last 18 months, regarding structural work that needs to take place at Yavne 2. There are cracks on the building which if left untreated could cause danger and a risk to safety. Since an engineer report 10 months ago, we have also ceased using the balconies on the front of the building until repair works were to be carried out.
We had been advised that the works will take a long time to approve and authorise, especially as our building is a ‘protected’ building and any works at all, including repairs, repainting and the erection of scaffolding, will require permission and licences from City Hall.
Current Situation:
Yesterday, without notice, the representative of our landlord and a contractor came to visit the gan, and announced that repair works will start on Sunday.
We met this morning with the contractor to discuss in detail what the work would entail, and how it would impact on the gan and our operation. The building owners insist that we can continue to operate as normal whilst the works are carried out. We are not so sure!
We have this morning submitted the schedule of works to our insurance to gain permission for the work to go ahead. No works can start until our insurance company confirms that we can work in these conditions.
The engineer we met with this morning has indicated that the work is urgent, and given the ‘cracks’ in the building expanding, we should not seek to delay or put off the work to ensure the ongoing safety of the building structure.
The scope of work to be carried out:
We have been informed only this morning the scope of work which will need to be carried out to ensure the ongoing safety of the building. and we have discussed how the work can be planned and executed to achieve the required outcomes, and to minimise disruption.
- The works will take around 3 months to complete we are told
- There will be scaffolding erected around the entire building
- The plaster work around all the metal rods in the walls and on the balconies will be ‘opened’ and repair work will be done to the metal rods. We are told that this will involve plaster/silicone and other materials, but not additional metal working or metal cutting
- After the rods have been repaired the exterior walls will be ‘closed’ and re-plastered. The building will be re-painted
The windows will have restorative work carried out on them. It is unclear whether this will happen whilst the windows remain in place, or whether they will be removed, or whether it will be a combination of both methods.
Apart from accessing the windows, no work at all will happen inside the building. The project is entirely restricted to the exterior of the building
Implementation of the work:
Scaffolding
We have been told that smallest chunks that the work can be broken down into is TWO full exterior walls at a time, including corners. We believe that starting on the front of the building (east side), and the right side of building – this is where the Crocodiles entrance is (north side) will cause the least disruption, and will encompass the majority of the work.
This will mean scaffolding will need to be erected across the entire front of the building (where the current buggy parking is located) and down the right side of the building (where the Crocodiles garden is). These areas will have to be closed during the period of the scaffolding erection.
Boarding will be erected in the garden to separate the entire Crocodiles side of the garden (up to where the decking starts) from the rest of the garden, so that no access will be possible. The buggy park will be closed, and a ‘safe’ entrance way into the building will be constructed around the front door.
It is estimated that this work will take 2 months. When it is over. The scaffolding will be removed and will be placed along the back of the building and (west side) and the left of the building – where the Pandas classroom is (south side). At this time, the Crocodiles garden will be back in use, but the entire back area (the decking) and the Pandas garden will be out of commission while scaffolding is erected and the repairs works carried out on these two sides of the building (estimated time – one month).
Impact Assessment:
Within the confines of the information we have been given, the management team, along with the contractor, have tried to carry out an impact assessment this morning, to identify how the work will affect the gan, and what impact it may have on our operation. This may obviously change as the works start, and different situations come to light.
Restricted use of the premises
In phase one (aprox 2 months) the restricted use of the property will extend to the Crocodiles lower garden area, the black gates on the right of the building and the buggy parking area, which will be totally closed.
To reduce the impact we will plan to make full use of the rest of the outside area so that the children continue to get full and usual time in the garden. The area of the works will be fully boarded, and the side of the building made completely inaccessible.
Parents will be unable to enter the black gates on the right of the building to come to the Crocodiles classroom at the beginning and end of the day, this will impact the Crocodiles class and the Green and Yellow group of the Leopards. Instead, the parents will be able to enter the garden area via the LEFT of the building (Pandas side) and walk around the back of the building, across the decking to the Crocodiles classroom door. This will still be accessible during phase one.
To reduce the impact for parents of the lack of buggy parking space, we are asking parents, where possible to avoid bringing buggies that need to be left at gan during the period of the works, and we are currently looking for a nearby solution of where buggies could be potentially stored. This may be in a nearby building or storage area, but will be off-site. As the garden space will already be reduced, we do not want to further reduce available play space for children by creating a buggy storage area within the children’s play area. We are trying to get an idea of the size of the space we need, and therefore we ask you to complete this google form, to tell us you need a buggy place during the works. Please complete the form by Friday 22nd October if you will need a buggy space during the works.
During phase two of the works, where the back of the building, and Panda side will be closed the impact will be greater in relation to access to the building, and play space available for the children. The larger garden area (Crocodiles side) will be open as usual, but there will be no direct access to the garden areas from the back of the building during the times of the works.
A pathway will be opened up to the Crocodiles garden from the front of the building, across the current buggy parking area, to the right of the building, so that children can exit the building via the front door and walk along the current buggy park area, and into the Crocodiles garden without having to go onto the street. This will be inconvenient, but hopefully manageable and will last hopefully for no more than a month.
During phase 2 of the works, we will also have to reconsider how to bring all the children in and out of the building as only one entrance will be available for us to use. As the work will finish each day at 4pm, it may be possible to arrange safe exit from one or more of the three doors at the back of the building, but this will need to re-assessed as we enter phase two of the works, to fully understand what is possible.
Dust and Noise
We are most concerned about the potential of dust and noise created during the works. We have been told that the dust and plaster coming off of the building will compartmentalised, and should not stray past the boarded off areas. The areas will undergo a deep clean after each phase of the work. The concern that we have is that this is not true, and the dust pollution is more significant that we have been led to believe. As the work will not take place inside the gan, windows of the gan will remain closed, and so dust is likely only to impact outside areas. We will need to keep this under review once works start, and if necessary seek ways to further reduce impact.
The potential noise will be caused when the workers are drilling into the exterior of the walls to access the the metal rods in the walls. As the drilling will be only on the outside of the walls, we have been told that the noise impact in the classrooms will be minimal, and whilst it can be heard, the noise should not be scary or overwhelming for the children.
We have been told that the drilling on the exterior walls will last for 4 – 5 days in each phase of the work. Until the work starts, it is difficult to assess the impact that this may have on the children in the classrooms. If the noise is too significant, and the children are unhappy or distressed by this, we may have to consider closing the classrooms for a few days that are being affected. This is not something we can decide now, and will keep the noise situation under review.
We have been told that after the initial noise of drilling has passed, the rest of the work is not noisy.
Window restoration
The removal and/or renovations (in situ) of the windows and frames will have an impact, as workers will need to enter the classrooms and other areas of the building to work on the windows, and in some cases windows will be removed.
To minimise the impact of the windows work we have asked for the contractors to work only room by room, and complete the windows in one room, before moving onto the next. To remove any windows after 4:30, or on a Friday morning (which is difficult because of their contracted working hours, but they have agreed); to board any windows with holes drilled into the boards, to enable light to come into the rooms whilst the windows are out, and to try to ensure that windows are to out for longer than a 1 week period in any one room. Where Windows cannot be removed to be worked on, the work may have to happen in situ; where this is the case, we will try to schedule work to take place after 4:30 and on Fridays, if this is not possible, we may need to close the classroom for a day to enable this essential work to be carried out, but we will try hard to avoid this.
Management time
Another major impact is the amount of management time that this construction work will take up. Inevitably we will have to deal with daily problems or issues, communication with the construction workers and the contractor and additional efforts to ensure children’s safety throughout the programme of works, and co-ordinate changes to drop off and pick up routines. In addition, there is likely to be an increase in time required to communicate with parents about the works; however there are no additional management resources available.To reduce the impact, we ask for parents understanding and patients during the period of works to appreciate that we are doing our very best to manage the situation in addition to the usual management tasks that we need to complete.
The contractors:
The contractors carrying out the work are the same contractors who worked on the Maze 9 building across the road. Some of you may have seen or met them while they worked there. We have been given a ‘contact’ who is the engineer/project manager for the works. We have had no input into the selection or contracting with the contractor, and they do not work for us, they work for our landlord. Having met with them this morning, the project manager appears very commitment to working with us, and ensuring that the works are considerate to us, and seems to be willing to do whatever is possible to minimise impact on our usual operations.
Construction workers will not enter the building as a matter of course. They have washroom facilities nearby, but not on Rainbow’s site. We have been assured that all workers have been COVID vaccinated, and will we check this where relevant. We have informed the contractors that the workers are not permitted to smoke at all on the site, even in areas blocked off from the children; and any smoking must take place completing away from the building (for example Maze sq). The contractors have agreed to this.
Questions and queries from parents:
We anticipate that parents may have questions, queries or concerns that you wish to raise. It is also possible that you may raise points that we have not yet considered or thought of! You may also have questions that we do not have immediate answers to. We have therefore decided that the most efficient way to respond to all parent queries regarding the building works is to set up a google form… you can ask as many questions as you wish on the form, and we will publish each question along with the answer on a dedicated webpage. This way, we can try to reduce any repetition, and we can ensure that all information is available to everyone.
Click here to access the google form