Schools to Commission: Build less, build now
HUNTSVILLE — Architects have made several adjustments to school plans at Burchfield and Robbins to potentially slash millions of dollars from the cost estimate, and school officials have renewed their urges for
County Commission to act swiftly in appropriating funding for the projects.
That came at a joint work session between County Commission and the Board of Education here last week — the second in as many months to be held between the two governing bodies on the subject of the school improvements.
Neal Richardson, the architect with Upland Design Group who has drawn up plans for a major renovation at Burchfield and a new school at Robbins, presented commissioners with modified plans that would lower the cost estimate of the combined projects from $15 million to $12 million.
At Burchfield, the modifications would entail a reduction in the core capacity of the renovated facility, by leaving off an originally-proposed second story to a new classroom unit on the east side of the existing structure. All other aspects of the original plan would be left intact, and the adjusted capacity would be 650 students.
The plan continues to call for a new gymnasium and cafeteria, in addition to 10 new classrooms, while the existing cafeteria would become the school’s library and the existing library would be turned into additional classroom space.
Outside, the existing staff parking lot would be extended to the west side of the campus, while a new bus onload-offload ramp and staff-event parking would be added with an entrance on Burchfield Ave just off Coopertown Road on the east side of the campus. County Commission is expected to authorize on Jan. 20 a nine-month, 12% option on a 4.5-acre tract of property on Burchfield Ave that will be used for the new parking area.
At Robbins, the core capacity remained unchanged, at approximately 320 students. Instead, modifications included reducing the size of the new school and connecting it to the newest wing of the existing school, which was constructed in the 1990s and includes four classrooms and a computer lab.
The new school would include a new gymnasium with a stage area and seating on either side, a new cafeteria, multipurpose room and library, in addition to the classrooms. The existing football field and playground would not be changed. Property to complete construction at Robbins, a tract of land to the north of the current campus, has already been purchased and is currently being used for event parking. Hughett Lane, which currently intersects the school property, will be rerouted prior to the start of construction.
For the first time, an option was discussed at the work session which would allow part of the existing facility at Robbins — a 7,000-sq. ft. building currently serving as the cafeteria — to be isolated from the rest of the school and converted into a community center and/or library. The rest of the existing facility would be demolished.
The individual estimated cost for each school would be just short of $6 million — a figure that Richardson said he was “comfortable” would prove true, given the current economic conditions.
Both schools would be built to provide for the option of later expansion, should it become necessary. At Burchfield, where future expansion will be almost inevitable if current population trends continue, the new building will be constructed in such a way that stairwells and an elevator can later be added for the originally-planned second floor.
Richardson called the modifications an “olive branch” from the Board of Education to County Commission, saying that the changes, while relatively minor, would reduce the overall price tag “by a couple million dollars” while adequately meeting the needs at each school.
While there have been no serious points of disagreement during the course of discussions between either governing body — the Board of Education, which is being pressured by the West Oneida and Robbins communities for overdue upgrades to those schools and County Commission, a strapped-for-funding body which must find a way to finance the building projects in a troubled economic period that already has residents leary of taxes at the state and federal levels — school officials made it clear in their comments Tuesday that they feel time is of the essence.
At Burchfield, the problem is not the condition of the existing facility — with the exception of a recurring sewer problem, which 7th District school board member Rodney West addressed at last week’s meeting — but rather overcrowdedness. Three mobile classroom trailers — two of which were donated to the school by the Knoxville-based Mission of Hope charity and one of which Director of Schools Sharon Wilson said “really shouldn’t be used but we had no choice” — are being used to house six classrooms, and congestion often backs up traffic in both directions — particularly west-bound — on Coopertown Road as the school day is beginning and ending.
“Something needs to start quick,” Burchfield principal Randy Shelton said.
At Robbins, the problem is very much one of the condition of the existing facility. There have been unspoken concerns of state condemnation of at least part of the current structure there. Principal Marva Robbins may have spoken those concerns publicly for the first time at the meeting when she stated bluntly, “I think time is running out.”
Wilson — who conceded at the beginning of the meeting that the school system “perhaps hasn’t done enough to present a viable plan” — spoke of a fissure in the ceiling at the school that has spread the length of a hallway, and of the floor separating from the wall in another portion of the hallway. “Nothing is going to get better,” she said. “We desperately need something, and I don’t know what’s going to happen at Burchfield if we don’t get something done there. We desperately need construction to start this summer.”
The topic of school improvements at Robbins and Burchfield have been an on-again, off-again topic of conversation for much of County Commission’s current term, which began in 2006. But the sense of urgency expressed in Tuesday’s meeting may have been the strongest to date used by school officials.
Richardson spoke of an 18-month time frame that would be needed from funding approval to occupancy of the facilities, saying that three months would be needed to prepare plans, one month to review codes and bid out the construction to contractors, followed by 14 months of construction.
While not ideal, Richardson said it would not be impossible for occupancy of the new structures to take place during the school year. Compacting that solution, however, would be a two-phase construction requirement at each school, with the second phase planned for the summer break. At Burchfield, major renovation will be required for the existing facility, and at Robbins, a portion of the existing facility will be required to be demolished to make way for new construction.
To allow for occupancy by the beginning of the 2010-11 school year, Richardson said, approval will be needed by County Commission to allow his firm to go to work by February. “If not, we’ll miss our window of opportunity,” he said.
However, it appeared unlikely that County Commission would be able to approve the building program before next month, barring a special session. The commission meets in regular session next Tuesday; however, one commissioner said that the matter would likely have to go through committee before being considered by the full body, and funding measures for the project have not received serious discussion.
The Board of Education also still has to formally adopt a plan to recommend to County Commission, which seemed likely to appear on the agenda when the board meets tonight (Thursday).