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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2018)
8A | SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS STORIES from page 1A Pivot Architecture, the Eu- gene architectural firm engaged by the district, has been heavily involved in helping to decide which modifications need to be made to bring buildings up to current code standards and determine future usage require- ments. Curt Wilson, the lead architect for Pivot, has been advising the board during the year-long process in what could ultimately prove to be a three- year or more effort. “All of this really started with the technical evaluation of the buildings last year,” said Grzeskowiak. “Having a team of professional engineers go through and evaluate all facil- ities from top to bottom, in- cluding all sub-systems, gave us much more information than in past efforts. We knew there was a need to do the projects, and the engineering team con- firmed that for the public and the board. I had been asked by board and community mem- bers to objectively define the differences between need and want in terms of facility plan- ning, and with the technical re- view we have accomplished that task.” Pivot Architecture was se- lected to oversee this critical element of the process in part due to the firm’s previous work with municipalities and educa- tionally oriented enterprises. The organization was the lead design team for major renova- tions recently undertaken at Lane Community College, the Willamette Education Center and facilities at the Eugene and Mapleton School Districts. Grzeskowiak provided an overview of the work being rec- ommended to upgrade all three schools “while keeping in mind the importance of properly spending the money of area res- idents,” he said. Elementary school: The south end of the elemen- tary building is the oldest facili- ty in the district and has several age-related problems. The el- ementary school used to oper- ate as two separate schools. By building a series of new rooms in the courtyard area between the buildings the entire facili- ty can be joined together into one unified school. Bringing the 1965 structure up to current building codes during a remod- el will actually be more expen- sive than building new, Pivot said. One plus is that the electrical, heating and plumbing systems, have been determined to be ad- equate in the elementary school. As part of the new design, windowless rooms will be elim- inated, and all classrooms will have direct access to natural sunlight. Middle school: The work at the middle school is the smallest scope of work and is focused around repair or preventative maintenance. For example, there is significant water intrusion along the south face of the building that needs to be re-flashed and re-sealed. While this is being done, the water damage to windows, trim and other support or finish ele- ments will be replaced. Also, some of the organic ma- terial buried in the field area south of the stadium will be removed and filled to provide a safe area for outdoor physical education, which at this time could be unsafe and is consid- ered a legal liability. High school: As expected, the work re- quired at the elementary and middle schools are considerably less intrusive than what will be needed for the high school. The problems there are so signifi- cant, and repair costs estimated to be so high, that the Siuslaw School Board decided that a complete a tear down and re- build will be required. Grzeskowiak realizes the building doesn’t appear to be in bad shape to the casual observ- er, but a deeper look by Pivot architects proved the contrary. “The high school replace- ment is the biggest portion of the bond. In looking at a re- model, considering the manner of construction at that time and the new compliance standards, building new is the more eco- nomical option,” Grzeskowiak said. “In designing the most ef- ficient floor plan to meet the ed- ucational needs of the students and staff, the new building will actually cost less than the incre- mental remodel plan.” Grzeskowiak said he has ap- preciated the many efforts of the maintenance in keeping the decades-old heating and electri- cal systems operational, despite facing major challenges in ob- taining parts and replacement COURTESY IMAGE Siuslaw High School has had few improvements in its decades of service to the Florence com- munity. Now, the Siuslaw School Board is asking voters to approve a bond in the November election. systems for the school. “Our maintenance personnel have done a great job keeping the high school operational over the years. But now, so many sys- tems are at the end of the opera- tional life span. Replacing all of those systems and bringing the structure up to modern seismic standards would have been a challenge and would have left the main footprint of the build- ing, and related safety issues, all still in place,” said Grzeskowiak. He added that a new high school will be more energy effi- cient and will reduce operation- al costs significantly. It will also offer students the safest, most modern educational facility that the community can provide. Major security system up- grades will be incorporated into the new designs for all three buildings, which will include video cameras and intruder prevention locks. Also notably, Grzeskowiak pointed out that the new high school will allow for inclusion of classes that are currently taught off-site, providing the physical space for both college-bound and career trade-focused stu- dents. Another major advantage to residents goes beyond the need to protect and educate area stu- dents. The new facilities will also provide a seismically se- cure space for thousands of cit- izens to gather in the event of a natural disaster. “These projects are more than just about the school build- ings themselves. They are also about part of the greater Flor- ence community,” Grzeskowiak said. “The goal of the district is education, but there will be secondary benefits as well. The new high school will now be up to seismic code and can serve as a community shelter in the time of an emergency.” There will also be tangen- tial benefits that Grzeskowiak hopes residents will include when they consider the district’s bond request. “The construction will be a short-term boon to our local economy. Not only will there be opportunities for local peo- ple and companies to be part of the projects, specialty firms from outside of Florence will be staying here in town, eating in restaurants and putting money back into local businesses,” Grz- eskowiak said. The performance of the board during the year leading up to this week’s decision was men- tioned by Grzeskowiak as being admirable considering the dif- fering opinions and experiences of the directors. Get Results...List With Richard. Vivvy’s Best Pet Care Richard Beaudro Principal Broker 541 991-6677 Dee Ryan • Owner Serving the Greater Florence Area Poop Scooping Nail Trims Walkies Training 85545 Pine St – 10+ acres with Siuslaw River & Old Town views! 4 bdrm, 4 bath luxury home with plenty of room for everyone. Park like setting with old growth timber and huge shops/garages. 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It is a lot of money, but it is an amount that will com- plete the project without fear of cost overruns or shortcuts.” This sense of working col- lectively, with the future needs of the children served by the school district as the overriding framework for deciding what was needed, was echoed by Di- rector Suzanne Mann-Heinz. “I am very pleased with the process and the potential out- comes,” she said. “The board deliberated over this for nearly a year and gathered information from many sources, including a comprehensive facilities assess- ment, recommendations from a citizens’ advisory committee, a telephone survey and input from several community meet- ings. Based on this, the board modified plans and shaved off over $26 million from original estimates. “A big part of attracting em- ployers and employees lies in having good schools. For me personally, I am all about devel- oping potential in our students and believe that a big part of education is safe, healthy, well- planned facilities.” Another important aspect of the discussion surrounding school improvements was high- lighted by Grzeskowiak and re-emphasized by Rosinbaum. “Let me stress this one point. We are in need of the new school and all of the ongoing updates outlined in this bond. Voting against this bond will not make the problems at the high school and elementary school go away,” Rosinbaum said. “We have to deal with these issues now. They will not get less expensive in the future, nor is there any more time to put them off to a future date.” Perhaps the most encourag- ing outcome of the somewhat tortured process undertaken by the Siuslaw School District board and staff, from Grzesko- wiak’s perspective, was achiev- ing a consensus among directors on what to ask the community to support. “After much thoughtful delib- eration over the last year, it was great to see the board come to- gether and put forward a plan to the public that they unanimous- ly support. What is coming be- fore the voters are the essential elements to protect the commu- nity’s investment in district fa- cilities,” said Grzeskowiak. “It is a great feeling to put forward a project that met the goals of the Board and that will help benefit our students and community.” The Siuslaw School District Board will place the bond mea- sure on the November Election ballot. Mother’s Day Celebration on Saturday, May 12th from 11-4pm. 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