Hillcrest Elementary School will receive new rubber tile flooring in the halls, classrooms and office to replace the current dirty, aging carpet. Installation will take place after the school year ends in June.

The flooring is a new product that Oak Harbor schools haven’t used before, but is popular in hospitals because it’s easy to clean, long-lasting and reduces noise, according to Superintendent Rick Schulte.

Cost of the flooring, including removing the old carpet, will be just over $403,000. Schulte said the installation cost is higher than other materials but “the payback period is very good” because this material has a life expectancy at least equal to that of the buildings.

Money for the project will come from the Capital Projects Fund, which currently holds $82,000. The district expects to receive $73,139 from state matching funds and the rest of the funding will come from Federal Impact Aid payments.

However, Schulte said this is a risk because the Department of Defense will not tell him when the district can expect that funding to arrive. He said the district may have to fund the project without Impact Aid for awhile. Delaying the project until Impact Aid funding is actually received would push back the floor replacement to June 2013 since it takes eight weeks to replace the flooring.

“We’re pretty enthusiastic about trying it,” Schulte said of the flooring at a school board meeting.

Since it’s rubber, it requires no wax, which cuts down on costs and improves air quality. It’s easy to replace if a square is damaged and it includes recycled rubber, “so it is environmentally appropriate as well,” Schulte said.