Dayton Schools Look Toward Major Renovation

DAYTON - The Dayton High School and Dayton Elementary School build- ings both received a major overhaul in 1984. That may seem like yesterday to some, but school administrators say the changes made then were designed to meet the school's needs for 20 years. It's been nearly 30, and a new round of renovation is sorely needed, they say.

A committee made up of school board members, administrators and staff, and local citizens, has been meeting for nearly a year to discuss a potential renovation project. Dayton School Superintendent Doug Johnson said the committee is aiming toward a possible bond levy measure to be put in front of voters in February, 2014. If the levy passed, renovation work would likely begin in the summer of 2015 and last up to two years.

Last year, the school board hired BLRB Archi- tects, of Spokane, to conduct a study and Survey of the school facilities. The Facili- ties Committee heard a presentation Friday, reviewing the initial findings from the study and survey.

According to the study, Dayton's Pietrzycki High School was built in 1923 and received its last moderniza- tion in 1984. The elementary school was built in 1954 and also received a major renova- tion in 1984. The Gymna- sium building was built in 1966 and the administration building was constructed as part of the 1984 renovation project.

Johnson said the major focus of the committee has been on upgrades to the high school. The study and survey's findings regarding the current condition of the high school facility include the following: - Current facilities well maintained for their age - No security system - Poor entry supervision and transparency - Multiple exterior entrances - Limited door and hardware access control - No fire sprinkler system or smoke detection

Handicap accessabil­ity minimal and not codecompliant

Finishes and cabinetryshowing signs of wearand age

Limited integrated tech­nology Mechanical/plumbingsystems and equipmentcampus-wide are aged andpast their useful lives

Electrical panel capacitieshave been reached

Classrooms do not haveenough power and/or dataoutlets

Intercom system does notfunction well

At the Friday presenta­tion, BLRB representatives Greg McCracken and Tom Bates discussed some other issues regarding the struc­tural condition of the high school. One of the most important issues that must be addressed is that the high school's exterior walls were built with unreinforced ma­sonry. These walls support the entire roof structure, and could catastrophically fail in a "seismic event."

McCracken and Bates told the group that, to meet current codes, some form of reinforcement of those walls would have to be made. This could be in the form of a load-bearing steel wall structure just inside the existing exterior walls, or the application of "shear walls" adjacent to the exist­ing walls.

Another issue brought up by Johnson during the meet­ing is that classroom needs have changed in the past 30 years. "The classic model of a teacher lecturing to a group of students sitting in rows of desks isn't practiced so much anymore," he said. Teachers are more likely to assign students to work in small groups. Therefore, classroom design needs have changed.

Several issues regarding common and social spaces in both the high school and elementary school were also discussed at length on Fri­day. These issues included the following: The high school auditori­um takes up nearly half of the building's second floor and is used infrequently. This area could possibly be converted to classroom space. The current multipurpose room in the elementary school is inadequate as a second gym. It is also used as the cafeteria, and so is unavailable for PE and other athletic activi­ties during breakfast and lunch hours. It has no spectator seating to allow athletic events to be held there, and it requires about three hours of custodial time each school day to set up and tear down lunch tables. The current location of the cafeteria in the elementary school building is inconve­nient for high school stu­dents.

The older students need a place of their own in or adjacent to the high school where they can eat and socialize. The group discussed the possibility of constructing a commons area between the upper and lower level buildings with a new kitchen and cafeteria to serve both schools. This potential addition would also tie the two buildings together, which would improve security. The gymnasium is in good condition and mostly ad­equate for current needs. New bleachers will be in­stalled next month. John­son pointed out, however, that the girls' locker room in the gym is much smaller than the boys', and the district needs to consider expanding the girls' facili­ties.

The BLRB representa­tives also told the group that any renovation would require the addition of an elevator to the high school building, which it does not currently have. New upstairs restrooms would also have to be added to the plan.

Almost all of the discus­sion during Friday's meeting concerned potential reno­vation of the high school building. However, during an interview a few days after Friday's meeting, Johnson was asked if the possibility of tearing down the current high school building and constructing a brand new one is being considered. "No options have been taken off the table at this point," he said.

Johnson did point out that, with Dayton's reputa­tion for historic preserva­tion, he feels there would be considerable resistance in the community to tearing down the nearly century-old high school building.

Neither school officials nor BLRB representatives would discuss the potential costs of a renovation project or the amount of a potential bond measure, saying it would be premature until plans are more firmly in place. Johnson said that the state will provide matching funds of approximately 30 cents on the dollar, for "nec­essary" renovation work. He also said that there are many options for the structure of bond financing that would be paid back by voter-approved property tax revenues.

As a comparison how­ever, Pomeroy High School recently underwent a major renovation. According to news reports, the total cost was close to $10 million, including state matching funds.

The facilities committee is next scheduled to meet in late August, to hold a design "charrette" in which members will provide input on potential layout changes. Johnson said he expects the facilities committee to make a formal recommen­dation to the school board, no later than their October board meeting, with a plan to present to voters. In order to have a February bond levy election date, the board must approve the plan by the end of this year.

Johnson said he is unsure how the Dayton community will respond to a request for a tax levy to help pay for a school renovation. "I tell people that, even though I'm the superintendent, it's re­ally their school," he said. "I hope they'll understand the need to support the project."