Planning & Design Meetings Meeting #7 2/4/2009 - MinutesGUNN HS MP MEETING No. 7
Palo Alto Unified School District 04 February 2009
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GUNN HIGH SCHOOL MASTER PLAN
Palo Alto Unified School District
MASTER PLAN MEETING NO. 7
DATE: 04 February 2009, 12:30–2:00 pm
SUBJECT: Master Plan Meeting with Gunn HS Facilities Steering Committee
ATTENDEES: See attached sign-in sheet
The following are the highlights of the meeting:
1. Architect Erwin Lee gave a summary of the February 02 Community Master
Planning Meeting. He explained that the main issues brought up at the meeting
were the proposed turn around at the west service road (Miranda entrance) and the
ingress/egress at the main entrance (Arastadero Road). He outlined the steps that
have been taken in the master planning process so far:
• Reviewed existing documents
• Had a series of site walks
• Had six meetings with the Facilities Steering Committee
• Created a series of site plans that reflect the input and needs of Gunn High
School
2. The four key elements to the master planning process were outlined:
• Educational program needs
• Growth structure – how to house the growing number of students
• Infrastructure and maintenance needs
• Enhancements and upgrades to the existing site
3. As a response to the suggestion that shifting the volleyball courts would reduce
shadows while playing, a revised site plan was shown that oriented the volleyball
courts due North. Lee explained that many triangular spaces would be created as a
result of doing this, but those spaces could be filled with other program elements.
4. Two, 1-story site plans were presented. These site plans showed both a single-
loaded classroom configuration and double-loaded configuration. Lee discussed the
amount of space that would be required for single-story construction and outlined
the advantages and disadvantages of 1 and 2-story construction. He stated that
building new, 2-story buildings conforms to goals of the Collaborative for High
Performance Schools (CHPS) by preserving permeable surface on the site.
5. Lee reiterated that what is shown on the presentation drawings is a diagram of an
idea only, and that the actual design and configuration of the proposed buildings will
occur during later phases of the project. He highlighted the master planning goals of
Gunn High School. These goals are:
GUNN HS MP MEETING No. 7
Palo Alto Unified School District 04 February 2009
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• Replace the existing Titan Village portables with a new, 28-building classroom
2-story building
• Demolish the existing music and choir building and construct a new performing
arts building that is adjacent to the Spangenberg Theater - for direct access and
resource sharing between the departments (e.g. the green room)
• Create an identity to the existing Spangenberg Theater by creating an entry
court that shows off the theater and enhances way-finding from the parking lot
• Replace the existing student activities center with a new, 2-story student center
that houses a conference center and central copy space, in addition to student
activities space
• Add two classrooms to the science building and create a connector to the
existing science/office laboratory building
• Build a second gym to be used primarily as a teaching space adjacent to the
new pool complex
• Reconfigure the parking lots to be more efficient and ease traffic congestion on
site by elongating the exiting cue and drop-off lane
• Create a protected, accessible visitors parking lot adjacent to the current
administration building
• Create an enclosed, textbook storage room in place of the locker room/cage in
the L-wing adjacent to room L-11
• Add six classrooms to the L-wing adjacent to the world languages classrooms
• Make the existing teacher’s lounge the entry to the school and create a café
edge that opens into the quad. Move the teacher’s lounge to the south side of
the administration buildings and add a staff patio that faces the library
• Create a turnaround with perpendicular parking and auto gate for controlled
access on the west service road
• Create protected bike paths with strategically placed bike parking throughout the
site
6. Lee explained the next steps in the master planning process. The following items
must be addressed in the three remaining Facilities Steering Committee Meetings:
• Discussions about budget issues
• Prioritizing needs and phasing construction of proposed buildings
• Implementation and scheduling of project construction
• Determining infrastructure and maintenance needs
• Finalizing documents to bring to the School Board by the end of March 2009
7. Lee stated that the Committee is now moving to the next step of the master
planning process, which is prioritization. He reviewed the site plan diagrams from
the previous meetings, and showed an overall plan of what the site might look like
once the master planning goals were implemented.
8. Preliminary budget lists were handed out and discussed. Rough-estimate dollar
amounts for each project in the master plan were shown. These dollar amounts
reflected construction costs only, and are intended to be a basis for prioritizing
projects at an informal level.
9. The meeting was opened to public comment. The highlights of the comments and
questions from the public audience were:
• Most of the disadvantages of 1-story construction can be mitigated. Please give
more attention to the 1-story plan.
GUNN HS MP MEETING No. 7
Palo Alto Unified School District 04 February 2009
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• Take a look at the safety and cost effectiveness of the 1-story plan.
o Lee explained that the rigorous oversight at the Division of State Architect
(DSA) ensures that all school buildings that are permitted through DSA are
built to the highest degree and the highest level of safety.
o Principal Noreen Likins stated that the Committee consensus is to pursue 2-
story building designs, and that the decision is consistent with the
recommendations of the High School Task Force.
• How long will construction take for these projects? Where will the portable
classroom buildings go in the interim?
o Assistant Principal Tom Jacoubowsky said that the goal for the construction
time frame is July 2010 through August 2012.
o The existing portables will have to go into the parking lot in the interim –
planning for this will be a part of the Implementation Plan.
10. The general consensus from the Facilities Steering Committee about project priority
was that teaching spaces should be built first. Mr. Lee stated that the logical place
to start is the classroom buildings in the Titan Village, followed by the new gym
(athletic department teaching space). These two projects are isolated from the
center of campus, and would minimize disruption to the entire site. These projects
are also the highest priority projects expressed by the Principal.
11. For the next meeting, the architect will give the Committee a project list that
includes rough estimates of the entire project costs in lieu of construction costs
only.
12. The next meeting is scheduled for 19 February 2009 12:30pm.
END
Prepared by Dean Schmitz of Deems Lewis McKinley. Please advise if you feel that any of the above items
are inaccurate or need further clarification or detail.
cc: Attendees
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