Planning & Design Meetings Programming and Pre-design Meeting #1 5/5/2009 - Minutes
PALO ALTO HS
Programming and Predesign
Palo Alto Unified School District
05 May 2009 | Page 1
PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL MASTER PLAN
Palo Alto Unified School District
PROGRAMMING AND PREDESIGN: MEETING NO. 1
DATE: 05 May 2009, 3:15-5:00 pm
SUBJECT: Facilities Steering Committee Progress Meeting
ATTENDEES: See attached sign-in sheet
The following are the highlights of the meeting:
1. Principal Jacqueline McEvoy indicated that there are several career pathway
opportunities available for CTE grants and that she will be exploring them. Possible
program grants include performing arts and journalism. Grants are important
because they fund equipment as well as capital improvements.
2. Tom presented a status update on the El Camino Field and the Multi-use Field:
• The El Camino Field was bid during the end of April with bids coming in very
favorably, allowing all bid alternates to be taken.
• The project is currently waiting for DSA approval and permitting and cannot be
awarded to the contractor until approval is granted. DSA approval is anticipated
in mid-June.
• Due to the El Camino Field schedule, the Multi-use Field will be pushed back until
summer 2010.
3. Tom explained that the master plan and the projects associated with them will be
going through the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) process. The process
is required of all projects to determine the potential impact on the environment. The
District’s CEQA consultant has recommended a ‘mitigated negative declaration’
process for the master plan. This process will require a public review and comment
period.
4. Although the Palo Alto Master Plan was approved by the Board of Trustees, Tom
noted that it was approved with the following conditions:
• Better community outreach including press releases, public notices, etc.
• Inclusion of community members with expertise in areas such as sustainability,
landscape and historic preservation
• Preparation of a landscape master plan to accompany the Master Plan Document
5. Erwin gave a brief status update on the programming and predesign phase of the
project development. Currently, he has met with Media Arts, Math, and Science. The
Social Studies Department meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 7 May. The following
are the major considerations discussed:
• Student entry or access into classrooms of the 2-story building: from exterior (as
elsewhere on campus), interior (which would be new), or a hybrid of both.
Exterior on the second floor would require a perimeter balcony or walkway which
PALO ALTO HS
Programming and Predesign
Palo Alto Unified School District
05 May 2009 | Page 2
can be restricting for pedestrian circulation. Concerns about supervision and
adjacency to the corporation yard.
• Several departments have requested shower facilities for staff: should these be
centralized or distributed? Should a central facility be provided for the campus or
should individual facilities be provided at department, staff restrooms? One
suggested, possible location would be in the future connection between the gyms
(although this project comes later in the master plan)
• Staff lounge as a campus-wide facility or by department—Jacquie indicated that
this had been discussed before and that a central, staff lounge is not feasible or
desirable.
• Media Arts classrooms should be multi-use and flexible in nature, highly
interactive, supervised entry into building due to late night operation, journalism
computer configuration tends to be fixed (desktop) as opposed to laptop
• Science has more concerns with their facility than a lab conversion, discussion of
lab type based on room size and configuration
6. Jacquie indicated that book storage will eventually become centralized with an
electronic tagging system. Possible use of high density storage systems should be
investigated.
7. Student Government is currently located in the Library. It was originally in the Tower
Building. With the Tower Building renovation, the Student Government could
eventually, return comfortably back into the Tower Building.
8. Stu Berman gave a brief status update on the Theater Committee activities.
• The group has visited several facilities including Los Altos HS, Woodside HS and
Foothill College. They currently have identified several other facilities to visit.
• The committee has three parent representatives (Holly, Carolyn, Stu) as well as
the representative from each of the performing arts department
• After the group completes its visitations, Erwin will schedule a meeting to discuss
their findings, likes and dislikes and key features for the new facility
• Tom offered to share cost information on theaters that his firm has from previous
estimates
• Erwin will invite his theater consultant to a meeting with the theater subcommittee
when the process dictates
9. An update on the programming and predesign phase will be given to the Board at the
23 June Board Meeting. This meeting will focus on current progress and findings. It
will not be a presentation of conceptual designs.
10. Public comments:
Kristen Essenmacher
• Suggested considering converting the back of the Haymarket Theater to an
academic resource center with a lecture center in the existing house area
• Invite another architect to the committee as a sounding board to DLM
• Invite an independent, sustainable focused, landscape consultant on the
committee
• Show what the master plan would be like in 15, 50 and 100 years from now.
PALO ALTO HS
Programming and Predesign
Palo Alto Unified School District
05 May 2009 | Page 3
Caroline Willis
• Regarding the two-story classroom building: Make sure that the tradeoffs between
a centralized plan with exterior circulation and a single-loaded configuration is
considered relative to indoor environmental quality such as natural lighting and
cross ventilation. Understand what is being given up with each scheme.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 3 June at 3:15pm
END
Prepared by Erwin Lee 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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