Architectural firm proposes creating a master plan for Freeport Area High School improvements
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Freeport Area School District officials might team with a familiar architectural firm to craft a master plan for high school improvements.
The school directors and administrators observed a presentation from HHSDR Architects/Engineers at Thursday night’s school board meeting.
It’s the same firm that worked on Freeport’s middle school and designed upgrades to its elementary schools in recent years.
Their presence at the meeting was requested earlier this year to discuss having a new air conditioning system at the high school, something district officials identified as a necessity in recent months.
District officials plan to further discuss the proposal at the school board’s Nov. 4 workshop and could put it up for a vote at its Nov. 11 meeting.
A portion of the project could be paid for through federal covid-19 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
Superintendent Ian Magness said there is about $1.3 million in ESSER funds the district must spend by September 2024, and a little more than $600,000 is allocated toward high school air conditioning.
The rest will be allocated to other covid relief efforts, although Magness said he anticipates the total AC project will cost at least $1 million.
Architect J. Green Hayden talked about the importance of planning for the future and not just one project.
“As all of you know, the high school has some years on it, and it has some wear and tear on the building itself,” Hayden told the board. “What I’d like to do tonight is to talk about what we foresee as a three-phase approach to identify the needs of the building — immediate needs and some long-term needs. The board can make really informed and smart decisions as we go forward here with your improvements. … This is a very interactive process.”
The high school was built in the early 1960s. Some rooms have their own air conditioning units, but the entire building is not climate controlled. About 600 students in grades 9-12 are enrolled this school year.
Hayden showed pictures of Canon-McMillan High School’s auditorium, as well as that district’s middle school cafeteria, gymnasium and corridors when talking about possible upgrades.
He said renovations to the aforementioned amenities, as well as the creation of collaboration and maker spaces, are among the major trends for school districts and may become part of the master plan.
Hayden cautioned district officials about risings costs for any renovation because of material shortages and delays, volatile material prices and labor shortages.
The cost of merely developing the master plan was estimated at roughly $30,000 and is expected to take about four months.
It would include site/building assessments along with design concepts of some renovations. Plans would be reviewed through the next two months as engineering work on the scope of the high school air conditioning project took place.
The presentation indicated it would take another two months to prepare bid documents and five months after that to complete the work.
Architect fees for the air conditioning project would be 5.9% of the total project cost. That’s the same fee structure for any other renovation projects the board would choose to undertake.
District officials said master plan creation may qualify as an ESSER project and, therefore, would be allowed to be paid from those pandemic-related funds.
Board president Daniel Lucovich said he believes HHSDR would offer the best price on the master plan and project fees — even though the district has yet to hear a presentation from any other firm.
“(It’s) based on the relationship (and) based on the quality of work they do,” Lucovich said. “We beat them up pretty well when it comes to pricing.
“Usually when schools do these kind of projects, they are getting out COSTAR pricing (the state’s cooperative purchasing program). If we go buy an air conditioning unit, whatever the price the government would buy it for, that’s what we would buy it for. The installation costs and all those things are something different. I just know how well they work.”
School director John Haven said he would like the master plan to include taxpayer and parental input, should the board move forward with the proposal.