Planning & Design Meetings Meeting #9 3/4/2009 - MinutesGunn HS MP MEETING No. 9
Palo Alto Unified School District 04 March 2009
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GUNN HIGH SCHOOL MASTER PLAN
Palo Alto Unified School District
MASTER PLAN MEETING NO. 9
DATE: 04 March 2009, 12:30pm-2:00pm
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. Principal Noreen Likins announced that the current meeting is the last scheduled
master planning meeting of the Facilities Steering Committee before the Board
meets on March 17th. The purpose of the Board meeting is to present a Draft
summary of master planning efforts and recommendations by the Committee. In
case there is a need to meet one more time after March 17th, the best day for that
meeting is April 1st.
2. Architect Erwin Lee welcomed the Committee and explained that the project
“phases” that were presented in the previous, February 19th presentation have been
fine tuned. Going forward, for the purpose of a more appropriate description, the
term group is to be used in lieu of phase.
3. Lee presented the original list of goals that were developed by the Committee, and
showed the current proposed site plan. He explained how it addresses each of the
original master-planning goals.
4. Lee stated that he has been in communication with the traffic consultant who
believes that, with the exception of some minor tweaks, the proposed configuration
is a fundamentally sound approach. The traffic consultant will be coming to the
March 17th Board meeting.
5. Items that need to be taken into consideration for the upcoming master planning
phases were reiterated. These items were:
• Projects currently under construction, such as the aquatic center
• Projects that will happen regardless of priority list, such as interim housing and
upgrades to infrastructure
• Projects that are a high priority to the school, such as classroom space
• Projects grouped together for ease of construction and phasing sequences,
such as those in the same area
6. The previous master plan project list was shown with assigned, preliminary
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Palo Alto Unified School District 04 March 2009
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construction and project costs. Lee presented graphics and a list that outlined the
recommended order for the master plan groups. The group order was:
1. Classroom Buildings A and B, Gym, Gym Mod., Parking and Drop-off
2. Student Activities/Media Arts, Special Ed. Center, Science Lab, L-Wing Mod.
3. Performing Arts Building, Spangenberg Lobby and Mod., A-Wing Mod.,
Amphitheater Upgrades
4. Admin. Addition and Remodel, Guidance and Counseling Center, Entry Court
and Structure
5. Quad, Demolition of RC Building, Site Improvements and Field Structures for
Athletics
7. Lee discussed the next steps in the master planning process:
• Prioritization and phasing
• Implementation and scheduling
• Finalize documentation
• Approval by Board of Education
• Authorization to commence projects
8. Tom Hodges addressed the Committee about the recommended grouping order list.
He explained that approximate escalation percentages are reflected in the dollar
amounts shown and that, for the purpose of prioritization at the current time, the
Committee should assume that the full budget for the Gunn High School campus is
$76M.
9. The Committee was asked to comment on the proposed, project-grouping
recommendations. The highlights of the comments and questions were:
• Will the Committee’s recommendations be flexible after they have been officially
presented to the Board?
o Hodges explained that stipulations will be presented to the Board that will
enable the Committee’s recommendations to be revisited and changed if
necessary, as developments arise.
• The T-Wing portable classrooms should be removed as soon as possible
because of safety and noise disturbance concerns.
• The RC Building has many small spaces, and it is difficult to fit a large number
of students in it. Using this building for swing space during the various
construction projects may not be desirable
• New science classrooms should have the flexibility to teach classes in any
subject; therefore shouldn’t be customized.
• The Athletic Booster Club is willing to acquire private funding for the design of
the new gym.
• Consider moving amphitheater improvements up the list.
• The world languages department is already at capacity.
• The lobby of the Spangenberg Theater can be done separately from the
Performing Arts project, if need be.
10. The general consensus is that the Performing Arts project should move up to group
2, and that certain items in group 2 should move down to group 3 to replace the
Performing Arts project.
11. The meeting was opened up for public comment. Only one member from the public
audience addressed the Committee. His comment was:
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Palo Alto Unified School District 04 March 2009
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• Group 3 should include the proposed turnaround at the access road, and it
should be moved up the list.
12. The next scheduled Master Planning Meeting is the Gunn HS Neighborhood Master
Plan Meeting #2 on 11 March 2009 from 7pm-8:30pm in the Library
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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