Valley School Board Hears Presentation on Renovations
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
At a public work session Monday night, the Tippecanoe Valley School Board heard a presentation from The Skillman Corp. on three possible concepts for renovations and/or new construction of the school. Steve Meno, of Meno Accounting & Venture Services, talked about the financial aspects of the project.
Cost estimates ranged from $15 million to $17.3 million.
Victor D. Landfair, The Skillman Corp. vice president, said they did most of the work this summer.
“What our task was, was to take a look at this existing facility and make some recommendations on how to update this building,” Landfair said.
The first thing they did was take a look at the building’s existing condition. “From my perspective, the building is a collection of buildings of different ages,” he said.
The oldest part of the building is the original high school gymnasium built in 1926. Other additions date back to 1948, 1959, 1965, 1984 and 1987.
“When we talk about buildings, we talk about life cycles in 25 and 50 years,” he said. “At 25 to 30 years, building systems need to be replaced.” In 50 years, buildings structurally or the configuration of them become outdated, he said.
As for the 1926 gym, it’s in pretty good shape in terms of overall facility, but Landfair said it has some challenging issues. Acoustically, it has issues that limit its use for anything other than a gym. Lighting needs replaced and the HVAC needs upgraded. The restrooms need replaced. The exterior of the gym is in worse condition than the interior – it needs reroofing, exterior stucco removed and brick and stone exterior veneer added.
The 1948, 1959 and 1965 additions have issues with building code compliance, structural limitations, building circulation and zoning, room sizes and shapes, educational environment; mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure; and exterior materials and appearance.
Proposed renovations to the 1987 addition include replacing roofing, refurbishing stucco; replacing floor, wall and ceiling finishes; replacing plumbing fixtures and trim; replacing lighting; replacing fire alarm, clock and intercom systems; replacing HVAC equipment; upgrading temperature control system; and renovating the existing office area.
“In summary, it was our opinion that the 1948, 1959 and 1965 areas were really – if you’re looking long term, probably weren’t a great investment to look at remodeling. So we stepped back and said, ‘What parts of the building could you save for a long-term solution?’” Landfair said.
The 1926 addition has some merit because of its condition and size, he said, and certainly the 1987 addition.
Working with Principal Chrissy Mills, he said they looked at all the spaces in the school and how they were being used and compared that to Mentone Elementary School. They looked at all the square footages, determined what was useable and what needed replaced.
“We went space by space, looked at the spaces we would need to do to replace those additions, and looked at the size and quality of those spaces and came up with a program on paper,” Landfair said.
On paper, the existing building is approximately 74,000 square feet. If the 1948, 1959 and 1965 additions were demolished, that would eliminate about 28,000 square feet, leaving the 1987 building at 30,000 square feet and the gym at 15,000. To replace the three demolished additions and provide comparable space, he said they would need to build 51,000 square feet. That would give a “new” Akron Elementary 97,625 square feet. Mentone Elementary has 89,932 square feet.
Skillman then drew up concepts.
Concept 1 salvages the 1987 addition and gymnasium but demolishes everything else. New space would be constructed for a “functional” site, he said. New construction would include the primary grades classrooms in the northeast corner; new lobby and canopy to the secured office; and larger spaces for the cafeteria, kitchen and large group instruction room. Support spaces would be in the new wing between the primary grades. A new boiler room also would be constructed.
The back parking lot would be redone and an access drive would wrap around the entire building so buses can load and unload around the back. The playground would be relocated.
Estimated cost of Concept 1, including construction costs, inflation of 3 percent and soft costs of 25 percent would be $15,320,100.
Concept 2 disconnects the school from the 1926 gymnasium and building a new elementary-sized gym plus reconfiguring the space.
Classrooms would be built to the north, with the cafeteria, kitchen and large group instruction space to the east with the new gym. The office would be on west side, and a new courtyard would be in the middle.
The old gym would become a stand-alone asset, he said, with a drive between it and the new Akron. Parking would be available on the west side of the building.
Estimated cost of Concept 2 would be $17,346,524 including construction costs, inflation of 3 percent and soft costs of 25 percent.
Concept 3 looks at just taking care of what is already in place at Akron. All the old additions would be renovated, but new additions would be added for kindergarten classroom; office and lobby; and large group instruction, cafeteria and kitchen. The site development would be similar to concept 1.
Landfair said total construction cost would be $11,881,008. Add in the 3 percent inflation cost and 25 percent soft costs, the total cost of Concept 3 would be $15,296,798.
Meno said the three financing options for Valley for the Akron building project would be cash from future school budgets; money from the Capital Project Fund from future school budgets; or school bond financing with a low fixed-interest rate.
Valley has three current mortgages. The one for Mentone Elementary ends in January 2018; the high school mortgage ends in January 2024; and the wind turbine mortage ends in January 2026.
“We’re still on a low-interest rate cycle, one of the lowest in 40 years,” Meno said. He said they could probably get a rate of 3.1 percent, but rates are expected to start increasing in 2016.
“Those are really the only options schools have in Indiana,” he said.
Board President Bryan Murphy said he didn’t see a need to keep the 1926 gymnasium unless the town wanted to buy it from the school corporation. He said he did like Concept 2 just from a traffic flow standpoint.
Superintendent Brett Boggs asked Landfair what the next steps were. He responded that any project over $2 million requires community support, so he recommended Valley inform the community what it intends to do before the 1028 public hearing on the project. He said the community should see the building and what its issues are.
Since it was a public work session, the board could not take any action last night on the concepts. Boggs said he will get with Mills and Mentone Principal Angie Miller to ready public presentations.[[In-content Ad]]
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At a public work session Monday night, the Tippecanoe Valley School Board heard a presentation from The Skillman Corp. on three possible concepts for renovations and/or new construction of the school. Steve Meno, of Meno Accounting & Venture Services, talked about the financial aspects of the project.
Cost estimates ranged from $15 million to $17.3 million.
Victor D. Landfair, The Skillman Corp. vice president, said they did most of the work this summer.
“What our task was, was to take a look at this existing facility and make some recommendations on how to update this building,” Landfair said.
The first thing they did was take a look at the building’s existing condition. “From my perspective, the building is a collection of buildings of different ages,” he said.
The oldest part of the building is the original high school gymnasium built in 1926. Other additions date back to 1948, 1959, 1965, 1984 and 1987.
“When we talk about buildings, we talk about life cycles in 25 and 50 years,” he said. “At 25 to 30 years, building systems need to be replaced.” In 50 years, buildings structurally or the configuration of them become outdated, he said.
As for the 1926 gym, it’s in pretty good shape in terms of overall facility, but Landfair said it has some challenging issues. Acoustically, it has issues that limit its use for anything other than a gym. Lighting needs replaced and the HVAC needs upgraded. The restrooms need replaced. The exterior of the gym is in worse condition than the interior – it needs reroofing, exterior stucco removed and brick and stone exterior veneer added.
The 1948, 1959 and 1965 additions have issues with building code compliance, structural limitations, building circulation and zoning, room sizes and shapes, educational environment; mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure; and exterior materials and appearance.
Proposed renovations to the 1987 addition include replacing roofing, refurbishing stucco; replacing floor, wall and ceiling finishes; replacing plumbing fixtures and trim; replacing lighting; replacing fire alarm, clock and intercom systems; replacing HVAC equipment; upgrading temperature control system; and renovating the existing office area.
“In summary, it was our opinion that the 1948, 1959 and 1965 areas were really – if you’re looking long term, probably weren’t a great investment to look at remodeling. So we stepped back and said, ‘What parts of the building could you save for a long-term solution?’” Landfair said.
The 1926 addition has some merit because of its condition and size, he said, and certainly the 1987 addition.
Working with Principal Chrissy Mills, he said they looked at all the spaces in the school and how they were being used and compared that to Mentone Elementary School. They looked at all the square footages, determined what was useable and what needed replaced.
“We went space by space, looked at the spaces we would need to do to replace those additions, and looked at the size and quality of those spaces and came up with a program on paper,” Landfair said.
On paper, the existing building is approximately 74,000 square feet. If the 1948, 1959 and 1965 additions were demolished, that would eliminate about 28,000 square feet, leaving the 1987 building at 30,000 square feet and the gym at 15,000. To replace the three demolished additions and provide comparable space, he said they would need to build 51,000 square feet. That would give a “new” Akron Elementary 97,625 square feet. Mentone Elementary has 89,932 square feet.
Skillman then drew up concepts.
Concept 1 salvages the 1987 addition and gymnasium but demolishes everything else. New space would be constructed for a “functional” site, he said. New construction would include the primary grades classrooms in the northeast corner; new lobby and canopy to the secured office; and larger spaces for the cafeteria, kitchen and large group instruction room. Support spaces would be in the new wing between the primary grades. A new boiler room also would be constructed.
The back parking lot would be redone and an access drive would wrap around the entire building so buses can load and unload around the back. The playground would be relocated.
Estimated cost of Concept 1, including construction costs, inflation of 3 percent and soft costs of 25 percent would be $15,320,100.
Concept 2 disconnects the school from the 1926 gymnasium and building a new elementary-sized gym plus reconfiguring the space.
Classrooms would be built to the north, with the cafeteria, kitchen and large group instruction space to the east with the new gym. The office would be on west side, and a new courtyard would be in the middle.
The old gym would become a stand-alone asset, he said, with a drive between it and the new Akron. Parking would be available on the west side of the building.
Estimated cost of Concept 2 would be $17,346,524 including construction costs, inflation of 3 percent and soft costs of 25 percent.
Concept 3 looks at just taking care of what is already in place at Akron. All the old additions would be renovated, but new additions would be added for kindergarten classroom; office and lobby; and large group instruction, cafeteria and kitchen. The site development would be similar to concept 1.
Landfair said total construction cost would be $11,881,008. Add in the 3 percent inflation cost and 25 percent soft costs, the total cost of Concept 3 would be $15,296,798.
Meno said the three financing options for Valley for the Akron building project would be cash from future school budgets; money from the Capital Project Fund from future school budgets; or school bond financing with a low fixed-interest rate.
Valley has three current mortgages. The one for Mentone Elementary ends in January 2018; the high school mortgage ends in January 2024; and the wind turbine mortage ends in January 2026.
“We’re still on a low-interest rate cycle, one of the lowest in 40 years,” Meno said. He said they could probably get a rate of 3.1 percent, but rates are expected to start increasing in 2016.
“Those are really the only options schools have in Indiana,” he said.
Board President Bryan Murphy said he didn’t see a need to keep the 1926 gymnasium unless the town wanted to buy it from the school corporation. He said he did like Concept 2 just from a traffic flow standpoint.
Superintendent Brett Boggs asked Landfair what the next steps were. He responded that any project over $2 million requires community support, so he recommended Valley inform the community what it intends to do before the 1028 public hearing on the project. He said the community should see the building and what its issues are.
Since it was a public work session, the board could not take any action last night on the concepts. Boggs said he will get with Mills and Mentone Principal Angie Miller to ready public presentations.[[In-content Ad]]
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