New Washfountain Makes A Splash

washfountain

The new washfountain at Madison Elementary takes up less space, and is much easier to clean than the school’s previous antique model.

Madison Elementary, part of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, has more than 230 students enrolled in classes ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade. As with many older schools, Madison could use a few facility upgrades, particularly with regard to classroom hand washing areas.

After decades of use, a washfountain in Madison Elementary’s kindergarten classroom was wearing out and desperately needed to be replaced. “Most of the spray holes were permanently clogged, so the water would shoot out of the others and over the edge of the washfountain making a big mess,” says school custodian, Bill Ziolecki.

“Maintenance had become a big challenge on the old washfountain,” adds Ziolecki. “It was also a bear to clean, and frankly, the bowl material looked better if we left it alone.”

As part of an 80th Anniversary celebration, Bradley Corp. held a search for the “Ultimate Washfountain” to find the most unique, antique, or otherwise unusual washfountains. After judging the entries, visitors to Bradley’s website chose Madison Elementary as one of the ultimate winners. Most likely, Madison was selected because their washfountain was extremely old, and a new washfountain would benefit kindergarten and first grade students.

In early 2003, Madison Elementary received their grand prize, a new Bradley Terreon Classic Juvenile Height Washfountain. Juvenile-height washfountains accommodate at least three users — a feature that conserves water and energy and takes up less space than restrooms or classes equipped with conventional sinks.

“The new Bradley washfountain is much easier to keep clean,” Ziolecki says. “I’d like to get washfountains throughout the entire school. The children really have fun using them.”

www.bradleycorp.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Illinois District Boosts Security at High-School Stadium

    Richmond-Burton Community High School in Richmond, Ill., recently announced that it has completed the redesigned entrance to its high school stadium with a new focus on school security and community engagement, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers on the project as part of District #157’s year-long facilities master plan.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.