Culpeper County Public Schools

CulpeperCountySchool Board11/30/2018 ~ 11:05:12 AM

Minutes

April 24, 2006

Page 1

CULPEPER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Minutes

April 24, 2006

A disposition meeting of the School Board of Culpeper County was held April 24, 2006 in the School Board Central Office (Colin Owens Conference Room) at 450 Radio Lane at 6 p.m. Present were Elizabeth Hutchins (Cedar Mountain District), Chair; Robert Jenkins (Catalpa District); Leanne Jenkins (Jefferson District); George Dasher (Stevensburg District); Jennifer McCauley (Salem District); Claudia Vento (West Fairfax District), Vice Chair; Division Superintendent Dr. David Cox; Clerk of the Board Jeff Shomo; Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Eric Conti; Construction Projects Manager Hunter Spencer; Director of Human Resources Starr Rowe; Director of Technology Dr. John Nicolay, and Deputy Clerk Pearl Jamison.

Robert Beard (East Fairfax District) was absent.

At 6:03 p.m. Ms. Hutchins called the meeting to order and Dr. Cox called the roll.

On motion of Ms. Vento seconded by Ms. Jenkins, the board approved the adoption of the agenda as presented. Motion carried 6-0 by voice vote.

On motion of Ms. McCauley seconded by Ms. Vento, the board approved the consent agenda as presented. Motion carried 6-0 by voice vote.

(a)Personnel Recommendations

(b)Approval of Master List of Personnel for 2006/2007

The board considered the following action items:

(a)Approval of Concept Requests

1. Addition of 10 Classrooms to FarmingtonElementary School
2. Construction of New 600 Student Elementary School
3. Develop Master Plan for CULPEPERCOUNTYHIGH SCHOOL Renovations

Addition of 10 Classrooms to FarmingtonElementary School -

Dr. Cox respectfully requested approval of the three concepts being presented. Dr. Cox commended Mr. Spencer for the drafttimeline he has created for the upcoming projects on page 27-28 of the board packet. Dr. Cox said when the Board of Supervisors secured the funding for the new high school they acquired $2.5 million dollars for funding the site plan at CulpeperHigh School. Dr. Cox said we are requesting that the board formally approve the concepts as presented. He said the information would be presented to the Board of Supervisors at their May 2nd meeting.

Mr. Spencer referred to the facility planning sheet. He said this form should help see the schedule and decisions that will need to be made. Mr. Spencer said in the planning there is so much we can do before spending much money. Mr. Spencer said we want to start the process to ask for money. He said we want to develop a program description for the school. Mr. Spencer said on May 15th the board will be asked to approve the program and RFP. He said the recommendation would come back to the School Board on June 26th for the 10 classroom addition at Farmington.

Mr. Dasher asked if we already have an architectural design for the 10 classrooms. Mr. Spencer said we have a preliminary plan. He said this building will use a lot of the same techniques as the Annex. Mr. Spencer said the RFP is for architectural services.

Ms. Vento asked about the roof. Mr. Spencer said the roof will be shallow pitched. Dr. Cox said it will be similar to the roof on the new high school.

Mr. Spencer said this project has a very tight schedule.

Ms. Vento asked about the timeframe. She asked if we are allowing time if we have a bad winter. She asked what will happen if we have a bad winter. Mr. Spencer said we would give them the schedule and see if they can meet it.

Ms. McCauley thanked staff for creating the timeline for upcoming projects.

Mr. Spencer said the contractor for the new high school has a similar timeframe but it consists of about 800 steps.

Ms. Jenkins asked if there is any room to wiggle. Mr. Spencer said this project is very straightforward and simple. She asked if the building will be as energy efficient. Mr. Spencer said is recommending a highly insolated steel frame building.

Ms. McCauley asked how much more seating there will be in the cafeteria and how many more parking spaces. Mr. Spencer said he estimates around 30 additional parking spaces. Mr. Spencer said the cafeteria will have 200 seats per the building inspector. The standing room limitation is 500. He said we are shooting for a program capacity of about 600. He said the cafeteria needs to seat 300 students. He said we need to reconfigure the space. Mr. Spencer said the designers we hire will help solve the cafeteria problem. He said there is room for additional tables in the cafeteria. He said there are aisles that are oversized.

Mr. Dasher asked if the new building will be attached or freestanding and will it have its own heating/cooling system. Mr. Spencer said it is attached and will have its own heating/cooling system. He asked if the building would have its own restrooms. Mr. Spencer said yes.

Ms. Jenkins asked if the building will have a bathroom for staff. Mr. Spencer said it should.

Ms. Hutchins asked if there would be a teacher workroom. Ms. Hutchins said we need to consider teacher needs as well as classroom space.

Ms. Brewer said Mr. Spencer have conducted walkthroughs and evaluated the building. Ms. Brewer said staff will be involved in the design. Dr. Conti said this building is not meant to be an ideal learning space. Dr. Conti said Ms. Brewer will need additional staff to run a 600 student school vs. a 400 student school.

Mr. Jenkins said we need to make sure the building has bathrooms.

Ms. McCauley expressed concern about a 600 student school. She said numerous articles she has read say smaller schools are better. She wants to know what the board can do to make small student body schools. She said she knows our backs are up against the wall. She said she would prefer to see us use mobiles instead. She said she wants to make all of our schools like separate houses.

Dr. Cox said smaller schools are better and more effective. He said we are in a situation where we don’t have any other choices. He said we did consider portables at A. G. Richardson and Pearl Sample. He said Emerald Hill has the largest enrollment. He said SycamorePark has over 600 students enrolled. He said putting mobiles at Farmington requires children to be exposed to the elements when going from building to building. Dr. Cox this building will allow a lot of flexibility.

Ms. Vento said A. G. Richardson and Pearl Sample have houses by grade level. She said she is sure Ms. Brewer will do her best to create a house concept.

Dr. Conti said when you have more than five classes per grade level it creates a problem for specialized programs i.e. music, art, PE, etc.

Construction of New 600 Student Elementary School -

Mr. Spencer said the estimated completion date is April 2009. He said he proposes that we ask for architectural proposals for a building that will fit our site. He said he has allowed extra time in the analysis portion of the bid to visit the schools that are being recommended for construction. Mr. Spencer said because of the slope of the site he anticipates a two level building. He said the high part of the land parcel is actually in two pieces. He said one site is in the town limits and one in the county. He said the more suitable site is in the town. He said he believes the site will be more of a challenge but is usable. He said this program and RFP will be up for approval at the June 26 meeting.

Dr. Cox said it is a beautiful piece of property. He said it is very long and nice. He said there will be access from Yowell Drive and the connector road.

Ms. Jenkins questioned the opening in April 2009. Mr. Spencer said this timeline is from the board’s goals. She asked if there is anything that can be done to bring the new elementary school on-line sooner. Ms. Hutchins said based on her conversations with the county funding will be the issue.

Mr. Dasher asked about sewer and water. Mr. Spencer said there is sewer and water available from the Town of Culpeper.

Mr. Jenkins expressed concern with having one-way in and one-way out. He said he anticipates five years before the bypass is completed.

Mr. Dasher said this location is dictated by the fact that we have property there. He asked if we have started to look at the growth in housing. Dr. Cox said it will take redistricting. Dr. Cox said we could redistrict and make this more of a neighborhood school.

Ms. McCauley expressed concern for those children in Richardsville who ride the bus over an hour one way. Ms. Hutchins said the number of children in Richardsville does not warrant a school at that end of the county at this time.

Ms. Jenkins asked about the construction of the new elementary school. Mr. Spencer said he would propose to construct a steel frame building.

Develop Master Plan for CCHS Renovations- Mr. Spencer said we need to develop a master plan for the High School Renovations. He said this would include site improvements that can be phased in. He said the best way to approach this is to start with hiring a design team to help us develop a master plan. He said this would only be preliminary design at this point. He said he is requesting approval to put together an RFP to develop a program of how the school should operate.

Mr. Spencer said we hired SAI to go through buildings and examine systems and determine ages. He said we have a very good report that will help us with the master plan.

Ms. Jenkins said we have an idea of what needs to be done and the priorities. She said what we are looking at is some direction on how we can implement those improvements in an incremental fashion. She asked if we have any sort of idea of the cost. Mr. Spencer said the master plan will cost approximately $40,000-$50,000. Dr. Cox said the master plan needs to be in place before we start the work. He said staff feels it is smart to have a vision from the beginning. Dr. Cox said the Board of Supervisors have secured the funding for the site plan – fields, parking, etc.

Mr. Dasher said we need to have a goal for the master plan. Mr. Spencer said the goal is to extend the life of the building for 40+ years and tie the programs to the new high school.

On motion of Ms. Vento seconded by Mr. Dasher, the board accepted the three concept requests as presented.

Mr. Dasher questioned the funding for these three actions. Dr. Cox said we would ask the Board of Supervisors for the funding. Mr. Spencer said he is not spending money yet.

Motion carried 6-0 by voice vote.

Break at 7:17 p.m. for 10 minutes ~ Reconvene at 7:28 p.m.

(b)FY06 CIP Projects

1. Review of CIP Balances
2. Approval of Proposal for Design of Replacement of Electric Switch Gear at CCHS
3. Approval of Proposal for Design of Boiler Replacement at Farmington Elementary

CIP - Mr. Shomo referred members to page 29. Mr. Shomo said our estimated CIP appropriated balance is $831,604. He summarized the estimated CIP expenditures to be paid from the appropriated balance i.e. annex payout, switch gear at the High School, telecommunications center, upgrade fire alarm at Culpeper Middle School, and tennis court restorations. He said the Farmington Boiler CIP appropriated money has already been earmarked for $160,000. Mr. Shomo said we fully implemented the Johnson Control Plan. He said that the middle school was not part of that plan and therefore, has not been fully engineered – engineering and lights. Mr. Shomo said $465,000 can be used to update the high school HVAC/Electrical. He said this money comes from the proffers from homes constructed behind Lowe’s.

Mr. Shomo said this will eliminate our CIP FY2006 funds. He said we would have $465,000 in proffers coming to the school system from the houses behind Lowe’s.

Mr. Shomo said pages 31, 32, and 33 reflect the CIP approved by the School Board in December 2005.

Tennis Courts - Mr. Parkinson said the most economical thing we can do is put a premier surface on our tennis courts. Mr. Parkinson said a firm sealed the cracks in the fall. Mr. Parkinson said more surface cracks appeared a few months ago. Mr. Parkinson said Charlottesville and Richmond have premier surfaces that are 6-8 years old. Mr. Parkinson said we have to cover the entire court. He said a lot of cracks were around the fencing posts. Mr. Parkinson said re-asphalting requires the fence to be removed. Mr. Parkinson said the premier sports covering comes in rolls. He said they repair the cracks and lay the new surface down. He said they guarantee the service for 15 years with maintenance after about 6-8 years. Mr. Parkinson said the cost to re-asphalt is $205,000. Mr. Parkinson said the premier surface can be done quicker with a lot less trouble. Ms. Vento asked how it attaches. Mr. Parkinson said they will clean and fill all cracks and then lay an adhesive surface down. Mr. Parkinson said there is a club in Charlottesville who has a court that is 8 years old and has not had any maintenance issues. Ms. Vento asked about pooling of water. Mr. Parkinson said they would level all areas. Ms. Jenkins asked the cost of the premier method. Mr. Parkinson said $155,000 and $18,000 in 6-8 years for recoating. Ms. Jenkins asked where the schools are in Charlottesville and Richmond. Mr. Parkinson said it is a club in Charlottesville and a school in Richmond. Mr. Dasher asked if this surface is approved for competition. Mr. Parkinson said yes. Mr. Jenkins said a lot of resorts have used the premier surfaces for along time. Ms. Hutchins asked if the company guarantees that the cracks will not seep through. Ms. Hutchins said we need to keep this in mind when constructing tennis courts for the new high school. Mr. Parkinson said we are seeing less and less asphalt with tracks and tennis courts. Ms. Vento asked about the base for the new tennis courts. Mr. Parkinson said they would lay asphalt down and put the premier surface on top.

Telecommunications - Ms. Hutchins asked where the telecommunications center will be. Mr. Shomo said toward the football field on the top floor of the Annex. Mr. Shomo said all our technology people will be located with the equipment. He said all servers will be located in one area. He said Verizon ran a fiber optic cable into the annex several months ago. Mr. Shomo said we have to move to fiber. Dr. Cox said all the district-wide servers and phone systems will be housed in one place. Ms. McCauley expressed concern with asking teachers to move again. She asked if we would provide assistance for the teacher to move. Dr. Cox said yes. Ms. Jenkins said she was aware it was going to the Annex just not sure where. Ms. Jenkins asked what would happen with the technology closet. Mr. Spencer said it would still be used and we would move the servers and phone system to the Annex. Ms. McCauley asked if the rest of the room would be used. Mr. Spencer said the other half of the room would be a workroom. Mr. Jenkins asked what is in the room now. Dr. Conti said it is currently a special education classroom and we will try to find room on the lower level at CULPEPERCOUNTYHIGH SCHOOL for the classroom. Ms. Vento said essentially we planned to have this at the new high school but we have been pushed ahead by Verizon.

Fire Alarm - Ms. Jenkins asked about the $52,000 budgeted for the fire alarms. Mr. Shomo said we hope to replace the firealarms at CulpeperMiddle School.

Annex - Mr. Shomo referred members to page 34. He said this page summarizes the expenditures for the Building in the Middle (Annex). He said the total cost from CIP is $2,878,618.28. Mr. Shomo further discussed the change orders as detailed on page 35 of the packet. Further discussion ensued regarding the applied marker board system. Mr. Spencer said the Board of Supervisors funded $2.3 million. Dr. Cox said the $2.3 million was only for the building it did not include design and furniture.

Ms. Vento asked about the equipment at Rosson & Troilo that still has not been installed due voltage issues. Mr. Spencer said the voltage issues will be resolved and equipment will be installed.

Ms. Hutchins asked when the parking lot at the Annex would be paved. Mr. Spencer said it will not be paved.

Ms. Hutchins asked about the tables falling apart in the culinary arts room. Ms. Hutchins said Chef Jazz needs the round table tops. Dr. Conti will take care of the round table issue. Mr. Jenkins said we need to spend more sometimes to get better quality furniture.

Mr. Dasher asked that staff to come up with a total for the Annex – soft costs and building costs broken out separately.

Ms. Hutchins stated that the renovation at SycamorePark is still on slate for FY 2007/2008.

Design of Replacement of Electric Switch Gear

Design of Boiler Replacement at Farmington

On motion of Ms. Jenkins secondedby Ms. Vento, the board approved the proposal for design and replacement of the electric switch gear at CCHS and proposal for design of boiler replacement at FarmingtonElementary School. Motion carried 6-0 by voice vote.

(c)Approval of Proposal for Design of Current Agriculture Area at CulpeperCountyHigh School

Mr. Spencer said the agriculture program can best be expanded at CulpeperCountyHigh School. He said ROTC will be moved from the old high school to the new high school. He said agriculture needs to be fully operational by the Fall of 2008. He said this is being separated out because it is in an isolated part of the building. Dr. Conti said to add this program at the new high school it would be cost prohibitive. Dr. Conti said nursing and child care will be at the new high school. Dr. Conti said the agriculture and culinary arts program will remain at the old high school. Dr. Conti said the federal government will not fund a second ROTC program. Ms. Jenkins said each school should offer the same programs.