Planning & Design Meetings Meeting # 12/3/2008 - Minutes
PALO ALTO HS MP MEETING No.3
Palo Alto Unified School District
03 December 2008 | Page 1
PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL MASTER PLAN
Palo Alto Unified School District
MASTER PLANNING MEETING NO. 3
DATE: 03 December 2008, 3:00-5:00 pm
SUBJECT: Master Planning Meeting with Paly HS Facilities Steering Committee
ATTENDEES: See attached sign-in sheet
The following are highlights of the meeting:
1. Principal Jacqueline McEvoy began the meeting by announcing that she will send an
email to all parents informing them that the school website will post all meeting notes
and working documents from the master planning meetings. She gave a summary of
the following items that were discussed at the Property Board Meeting:
• The field along El Camino Blvd. best serves the needs of the school in its current
location.
• The corporation yard should also remain in its current location. The Board would
like to bring closure to the decision not to change the location of the corporation
yard at the next meeting.
• A new Performing Arts Theater should be constructed near the existing theater.
• The district is doing the best it can to come up with additional funding for the
performing arts building and facilities and athletic field improvements. The Athletic
Boosters will vote on raising an additional $1M-$2.5M in their upcoming meeting.
2. Program Director Tom Hodges discussed the athletic field improvement and gave the
following estimates for the three main projects:
$4M for the multi-purpose field
$2.3M for the field along El Camino
$1.4M for the bleacher expansion
• Funding for the bleacher improvement is in this bond, but it takes funding away
from the field along El Camino. It is recommended that this improvement project
be reconsidered. Erwin Lee added that upgrading bleachers is a very expensive
proposition.
• Although there seems to be no great concern from the neighbors about the
proposed security lighting in and around the paths of the El Camino soccer field,
the funding for it has been cut. Efforts are currently being made to seek outside
funding for this improvement as well.
• To further conserve funding resources, scoreboards are to be reused unless they
are rendered unsalvageable.
3. Architect Erwin Lee outlined the meeting agenda and discussed the goals of the
today’s master plan meeting. The highlights of his presentation are as follows:
PALO ALTO HS MP MEETING No.3
Palo Alto Unified School District
03 December 2008 | Page 2
• Plan A and Plan B, which were introduced at the last meeting, were compared
with a discussion of advantages and disadvantages for each option.
The generally accepted advantages of Plan A are:
a. Provides a gateway and façade to Embarcadero Rd by breaking up building
mass.
b. Utilizes space around the existing gym and lessens impact on south side
c. The façade of the gym provides a visual terminus to the quad
d. Creates as edge to the quad
e. Provides an opportunity to create a lobby entrance to the athletic complex that
can be seen from across the campus, thus enhancing way-finding.
The generally accepted advantages of Plan B are:
a. Frees up interior campus space by maximizing classrooms along
Embarcadero Rd.
b. The gym addition is closer to parking, eliminating the need to walk through the
campus
c. The majority of the new classroom buildings would be away from the noisy
corporation yard.
• The consensus from the Committee is that there are parts of both Plan A and Plan
B that should be combined into a composite plan. Erwin suggested that this is
how the process should work and that it is a good thing.
The following is a list of the design goals that were discussed:
a. Create a new Performing Arts Complex anchored by the new theater
b. Construct a new, 2-story Student Center that can be connected to the Tower
Building
c. Keep the existing gyms connecting them by a new, two-story building that
could house the new weight room, fitness program etc? Tom Hodges stated
that the bond language originally made provisions to fully renovate the two
existing gym buildings. If it’s decided to construct a new gymnasium building, it
will reduce funding away from modernization of existing buildings. Jacqueline
McEvoy added that the old gym building is not ADA-compliant and that to
renovate it would mean bringing the existing facilities up to code.
d. It was suggested that a block of classrooms in a new building should be
located within the campus and not alongside the heavily utilized Embarcadero.
It was felt that this was more secure and protective.
e. No three-story buildings are to be constructed. The disadvantages of a three-
story building outweigh the advantages.
f. If new science buildings are added, they don’t necessarily have to be in the
same location as the existing classrooms because some science classes are
considered Career/Tech.
g. Public access to the courtyard should be limited to avoid random people and
cars from entering the campus.
h. Consider option to combine the corporation yard with the District Office is
currently located into a single two-story facility. This could be achieved in a
subsequent bond. This option would make Churchill neighbors happier
because trucks and busses would enter the site further away from where they
PALO ALTO HS MP MEETING No.3
Palo Alto Unified School District
03 December 2008 | Page 3
currently enter. Tom Hodges added that the District Office structures are
inefficient and no longer serve their purpose, suggesting that renovation for
these buildings is inevitable.
i. A number of the existing portable classroom buildings could possibly stay
onsite. This would reduce the demand for additional square footage in newly
constructed buildings. Jacqueline McEvoy expressed concern that if any
portable classroom buildings remain, it should be announced to parents
immediately. Parents are expecting that when construction is complete, the
protables will be removed.
j. Centralize the entrance of the library and open it up to the courtyard.
k. The quad should be designed to accommodating graduation ceremonies.
4. Follow-up items for the next meeting:
• A colored site plan will be made that shows locations and adjacencies of current
classrooms and departments.
• Before a cost-benefit analysis is made, sizes of the required building footprints
must be determined.
• The Special Education Department needs to decide if they’re going to be a
centralize or a distributive program.
• A utilization plan that includes a count of how many standard classrooms, versus
special classrooms is needed.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 17 at 3:30pm
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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