Back to the Drawing Board for School Remodel

— by Margie Doyle , Updated March 7 at 11:30 .m. —

At its Special Meeting today to discuss the construction bids that were submitted on Weds. Feb. 26, the Orcas Island School District (OISD) board decided to:

• Abandon the plan to move the Middle School classrooms to the second floor of the Elementary “Milton” brick building
• Task Mahlum, the design firm for the 2012 capital construction project, to redesign the current Library/OASIS building into classrooms for the Middle School grades.

By virtue of these decisions, the Board will need to go out for construction bids again.

The Board also voted to reject the bids solicited from construction firms last month.

OISD Board President Scott Lancaster efficiently chaired the meeting, which began with the announcement that  Board Member Jim Sullivan has resigned. Board Member Janet Brownell attended via teleconference. As questions from the audience arose, Lancaster said, “The school board is meeting to give some direction to Mahlum [project managers].  As we discuss going forward, it may take away some of the anxieties and concerns.”

David Mount of Mahlum presented five options on the original design that went out for bid in February and the respective cost savings of each plan. Construction project manager Liz Leroy advised the board on the implications of changes. She emphasized that construction costs and cost per square foot were not the only major factors in figuring expenses; that scheduling and occupancy requirements also played into the larger picture.

Board Member Tony Ghazel started the discussion by proposing that the remodeling of the Milton building be removed from the scope, as well as the Career and Technical Education (CTE) element of the design. He suggested that the savings realized by those two actions could be used to renovate the current library/OASIS building for the middle school classrooms.

Along with deciding upon these actions, the Board proposed a new steel building to house the Career and Technical Education (CTE) “shop” classrooms, and confirmed the plans to make use of the 3-year old modular building donated by the University of Washington and currently in storage.

Middle/High School Principal Kyle Freeman reminded those in attendance that the district has a commitment to provide updated CTE facilities. Lancaster agreed, saying, “I understand the commitment we have to CTE; the scope of what it looks like can change.”

Music program advocates Catherine Pederson and teacher Pamela Wright expressed “relief” that the music program would thus retain the classroom in the elementary building and the “stage” performance area between the current Band Room and cafeteria.

Several teachers and parents spoke at the meeting in favor of housing the middle school in its own building, and 7th- grader Meg Waage and 8th-grader Maggie Toombs addressed the special school board meeting. Waage read from a detailed position paper, giving the logic for housing the middle school students separately from the elementary students. Toombs seconded the statement, and said,  “I love the idea that [a middle school building will be complete and don’t half do it: we need heat,” echoing statements which Board Member Chris Sutton had emphasized throughout the meeting.

Leroy said that the project is still going through the permitting process, and that construction can still be scheduled for the summer months, when the cafeteria and middle school classrooms are not in use.