Planning & Design Meetings Meeting #1 2/24/2010 - Minutes03/01/2010 13:48 IFAY
PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL
Palo Alto Unified School District
PROGRAM MEETING NOTES
DATE: 24 February 2010, 3:30 — 5:00 PM
SUBJECT: FOOTBALL STADIUM SUBCOMMITTEE
MEETING NO.1
ATTENDEES: See attached Sign in Sheet
E Q 001/004
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Football Stadium improvements. The
following are the highlights of the meeting:
The high school Master Plan was presented by Erwin Lee (EL) to reacquaint the
group with earlier planning decisions. It was noted that some adjustments had been
made based on comments received from previous meetings including
the creation of a direct path, both physically and visually, from the quad to the football
stadium entrance. Additionally, the new stadium scope would revisit the entire
football stadium as a facility including, an entry, ticketing, concession/restroom
building, pedestrian circulation, and maximizing the bleacher capacity.
2. Assistant Principal, Todd Feinberg (TF) reminded the group that we are now looking
at the area within the stadium as a facility and to maximize the use and program
opportunities. He shared his recollection from one of the school board meetings that
the sycamores would remain but any trees within the fence line of the football
stadium could be removed if it resulted in a better facility. Trees that are removed
would become candidates for the tree mitigation.
3. EL presented a site diagram plan illustrating the circulation paths as well as the goals
of the specific study area. The key circulation paths to the stadium were:
• From the Churchill entrance, both pedestrian and vehicular
• From the Embarcadero parking through the campus and the quad
• From EI Camino via the tree lined walkway
• Other minor paths were also indicated
4. The entry to the football stadium needs to be clearly defined and articulated. The
existing and proposed location is an intersection of many paths both pedestrian and
vehicular. EL expressed the goal of clearly defining a point of entry to the campus by
creating an entry portal or gateway. The existing parking would be relocated outside
of the gateway with only emergency and corporation yard access occurring through
the gateway. Four schemes were presented as possible ways to address this goal:
Scheme A:
Is further development of the configuration shown in the Master Plan and
incorporates an entry plaza or forecourt to the gateway at the end of the vehicular
turn -around. The alignment of the vehicular turn -around and the plaza impacts three
sycamore trees.
Scheme B:
Football Stadium Subcommittee
Palo Alto High School
24 February 2010
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Aligns the center of the vehicular turn -around with the EI Camino walkway axis. No
trees are impacted in this configuration.
Scheme C:
Is similar to Scheme B in alignment, except that it has one-way vehicular traffic in and
out of the turn -around with vehicles exiting through the parking area. No trees are
impacted in this configuration.
Scheme D:
Locates the turn -around into the existing paved/parking area between the existing
gymnasium and the entrance to the corporation yard. This scheme allows the
parking configuration adjacent to the field to remain as is. No trees are impacted in
this configuration.
5. Earl Hanson (EH) asked what tree species was contemplated for the continuation of
the tree lined walkway from EI Camino. EL responded that the trees were a
suggestion of continuing the tree lined walk and that the actual tree species had not
been discussed. EH indicated that he would prefer that the sycamores are not
continued because they create problems for the basketball courts and swimming pool
and are a maintenance issue. He liked the trees continuing the axis and the shade
that they'll provide.
6. EL presented a plan of the football stadium which showed reconfigured bleachers,
relocated jump pits, shot put area and discus. The plan also shows two of the
existing relocatables in place and moves the concession/restroom building from that
shown in Schemes A -D. A 10FT wide pedestrian path is proposed adjacent to the
track so that visitors can get to the visitors' seating without walking on the track.
Comments included the following:
• The ticket area does not need to be adjacent to the concession area. Tom
Hodges (TH) suggested that it could be a kiosk in the plaza. This would separate
ticket purchase line from the ticket taking activity. A central location would also
be convenient for purchasing tickets for other events such as swimming or
basketball.
• The concession/restroom facility in this drawing is adjacent to the two remaining
relocatables. A building with approximate dimensions of 30 x 60 could be
configured in this space. The four previous schemes would require the relocation
of existing relocatable buildings a, B, C, and D.
• EL noted that four trees at the visitors' side would need to be removed in order to
maximize the bleachers between the existing stadium lights.
• Other trees would be removed on the home side in order to maximize the
bleachers. Mary Gordon (MG) shared that some of these trees are not
considered significant and are over grown shrubs trimmed into trees.
• The bleacher capacity goal is 2,300 which would seat the projected build -out
enrollment. However, this will be nearly impossible to achieve given the existing
constraints and trees. Maximizing the capacity within the constraints will be the
goal. TH suggested that maybe we look at what a 2,300 capacity stadium looks
like even if it impacts a larger number of existing trees.
• Portable aluminum bleachers could be placed adjacent to the bleachers to
increase capacity for larger events.
• TH indicated that trees could be planted, for mitigation purposes, along the
proposed walk to the visitors' bleacher. This would also serve to screen the
maintenance building.
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Palo Alto High School
24 February 2010
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EL suggested that the press box and filming platform could be located above the
bleachers in lieu of at the end or back of the bleachers. This would result in
possibly four additional rows of seating. He also mentioned that the bleachers
could be steeper in order to reduce the depth and/or provide additional rows. The
currently proposed seat to seat dimension was 25"(Verdi drawings). EH said that
he measured the Stanford configuration and that it was 18"
EH mentioned that he had seen many venues where the jump pits were at the
end of the football field within the track. However, this reduces the field practice
area and asked if the two jump pits could be configured side by side adjacent to
the driveway in. This would allow space for the sheds in the location where the
shot put pit was proposed to be relocated. EH was also not comfortable with the
close proximity of the discus near the high jump area. He said that even though
the discus area is screened, the discus could break/tear through the screen
resulting in a potential accident.
EL will study moving the long jump pits as suggested and leaving the shot put and
discus where currently located.
There are many storage needs that consist of multiple sheds. Locations for all of
these needs need to be planned for. The football storage must be protected from
the weather.
7. For the next meeting TH asked if we could review the ranking and mitigation for the
trees within the football stadium. This would give everyone an idea of how these
trees were evaluated by the landscape architect in their tree inventory.
8. Nancy Bjork (NB) emphasized that the sycamore trees are of high value to the
community and any removal will create much interest and that they should not be
disturbed. Everyone acknowledged the interest that the sycamores have received.
9. Kara Rosenberg (KR) expressed her concern that the turn -around and adjacent
areas are being planned without adequate consideration to the future Adult Education
/CTE Building and that any reconfiguration in the area will impact the program. TH
indicated that one of the reasons that the building was moved down the project list
was that the program was evolving and not definite enough to plan the building. KR
agreed but noted that she did not want to lose any opportunities.
10. MG suggests that if the corner of the future Adult Education /CTE Building be
adjusted, specifically so that it doesn't overlap the existing gymnasium, to provide
long views to the Haymarket Theater which could be quite dramatic and provide
another visual cue to tie the campus together. The corner of the building could also
be finessed to open up the area. EL indicated that the footprint is only a placeholder
but noted that it would be purposeful to adjust the footprint so that it represents the
latest thinking and considerations and is not lost.
Schedule: Next Meeting: 24 March 2010 at 3:30 pm
END
Prepared by Erwin Lee of Deems Lewis McKinley. Please advise in writing if you feel that any of the above
items are inaccurate.
cc: Attendees
File
Football Stadium Subcommittee
Palo Alto High School
24 February 2010
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PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL
Palo Alto Unified School District
SIGN IN SHEET:
MEETING #1: FOOTBALL STADIUM
Name
Email
DATE: 24 February 2010
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