February 2, 2006

 

The Citizens’ Facilities Study Committee met in the Board room of the Administration building with the following members present: Eddie Alvarado, Brian Arnold, Bruce Barrett, Earl Behrends, Nancy Benham, Jason Box, David Brunson, Janet Claborn, Jim Ella Clemmons, Stacy Conner, Barry Cowart, David Dominguez, Bob Finney, Debbie Gallman, Daniel Guzman, Cole Hawkins, Dani Heathington, Kenneth Henry, David Jenkins,  Adena Johnson, Max King, Sergio Leal, Linda Lewis, Ed Nickels, Janice Pacheco, Danna Perez, Adrienne Precure, Cindy Purdy, Shawn Rejino, Gene Sheets, April Smith, Pam Thomason, David Tipps, Don Wood ,Robin Welch, Tadd Young.

 

Visitors:  Andy Chandler, Stephen Faulk, Melanie Sechrist, Mark Morton

 

Superintendent Gene Sheets called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.  Mr. Sheets gave a recap of the last meeting.  He stated that there are needs other than growth that need to be addressed.  Long –term obsolescence of the building is the primary concern.  He reminded the committee that a decision was not to be made tonight.  The committee will hear a lot of ideas and their job is to start thinking about the ideas and prioritizing them.  Decide what is important and what can wait.

 

Mr., Sheets introduced Stephen Faulk, Andy Chandler, and Melanie Sechrist of MWM Architects.  He stated that they would explain options and how we could satisfy our needs now and make it tie into a plan for later on.

 

Mr. Faulk told the group that they had gone back to work and came up with a new plan that would improve on cost.  They are working under the assumption that there would be $20M to work with.  He reiterated that the committee would need to prioritize what they felt were the most important needs. 

 

Mr. Faulk gave a presentation showing different options for each campus.  He stated that we could have a plan for as long as 25 years and we could also have short term plans.  Mr. Faulk explained that construction costs are not going down.  They are going up due in part to increased fuel prices.  He stated that steel prices were increasing and that cement was hard to find.

 

A description of the plans is as follows:

 

High School – Retain the Band Hall, retain and expand the cafeteria and auditorium.  The plan would add 4 new wings in what is now the parking lot between the Jr. High and High School.  They would then remove everything to the south and use that for parking.  The two schools would continue to share the cafeteria and band hall.

 

Jr. High – Add a small addition to the east end and moving the front entrance to the north.  This would make the two schools back up to each other.  He stated that if you do a new addition that touches the old building state law mandates that it must follow TAS regulations. 

 

Dillman – Add educational wing and possibly build an adequate kitchen and cafeteria.  This would be part of a long term plan to build a new school on the south side of this addition where the playground is located now.  When the new building is finished the play ground would be located on the North side where the old building was.

 

DeShazo – Add addition on the west end and address ramp in the hallway.  There is a code issue with the inside walls which do not meet the ceiling.  It is recommended that the gap is closed for safety and sound issues.

 

Mr. Faulk said that they are trying to utilize the land the district already owns.

 

After Mr. Faulk’s presentation Mr. Sheets opened the floor for questions or comments.  They were as follows:

 

  1. Does the price include parking lot at the high school?  Yes
  2. Does it include relocation of Bus Barn?  No
  3. Will the new addition at high school be too close to the football stands? No
  4. Is there another plan for the high school other than building a new school?  More than 60% of the money would be spent on that school and we are not hurting for space there.   It is politically dangerous to look at a sporting facility.

      The high school poses a great deal of challenges.  The rooms are too small, and             there is a major dead end corridor which is a potential fire hazard.  Extensive renovation (leaving the existing walls and tearing out the rest) to the high school             is 13M.

       5. Is there anyway to estimate the cost of asbestos removal?

            It would have to be removed and MWM does not do that.  There are people who         can some in and assess the cost to remove it.         

 6.  Is it possible to have a pitched roof on the additions instead of a flat roof?

       Yes, roofs are not really completely flat.  Building code says they need to have                ¼ inch per ft. slope.

  7. Can you build a roof without asphalt? 

              Yes, but it is more costly.

        8.  What are the pros and cons of steel roof and structure?                                                 

               Pro – about the same cost as conventional.

               Cons- Loss of energy efficiency when insulation goes across pearling 

                           Paint is guaranteed for 20 years.  Paint will dull.

         9.  We need to get the best bang for the buck – we are looking at 20 – 25 years                  down the road

       10.  Do figures include things that need to be fixed?

                No, it does not include roof or air conditioning.  The price would go up $75 to

                $80 per square foot.

        11.  Does price include demolition?

                 Yes, it includes removal and disposal of building, foundations, and slabs.

                  NOT ASBESTOS.

         12.  What kind of savings would we see on energy bills with new structure?

                    The problem with old buildings is there is no insulation.  You should see                                      some savings.

               13. Is $20M including $5M in the bank? No                                                                             14. Where does the money come from to do renovation each year and did we                           use it this year?

                      $200,000 is set aside each year out of the General Budget for up keep.  It                     was not used this year because we thought we might be doing some major                                   renovation.

 

 

 

REACTIONS

 

  1. Send copies of preliminary drawings
  2. Dillman may have the most need
  3. Like opportunity to get 2 for 1 money
  4. Contingency cost – get handle on needs
  5. Can use some existing furnishings that school currently owns
  6. Cost of asbestos removal???
  7. $15M to High School
  8. Dillman is priority but High School is our image
  9. High School is just old – Dillman is over crowded
  10. Dillman is  priority
  11. DeShazo code violation – walls, ramp

 

 

Mr. Sheets closed the meeting by telling the committee that they would start setting priorities in a few weeks.  He state that a Financial Advisor would be at the next meeting to review Financing options and answer any questions they might have.  He also gave the committee three opportunities to tour the facilities on Monday, February 6th.

 

 

Meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.