“integrated Option” is back on the table

At the most recent meeting of the School  Board, APS office of facilities formally recommended the Integrated option for Reed. This is something of a reversal, since a week before they had dropped the Integrated option when cost estimates put it over budget by about 5 million dollars. You can see their recommendation at  this link

To recap, and simplify, in a six month process that began in September 2017, citizen advisory committees to the school board and county board met with APS and county employees and with VMDO architects to consider the Reed site for a 725 seat neighborhood elementary school.  The committees recommended the “integrated option,” which partially demolishes the existing building and puts a new multi story school in its place. The integrated building preserved green space and was thought to be under budget.

On closer examination, in light of increasing costs, the new estimates showed the school to be about 5 million dollars over budget. The committees were directed to reconsider two options which had earlier been rejected.

There was widespread dismay at this. The other two options involved using the existing building, which is poorly designed for upper level Elementary students, and also adding an entirely new build where the baseball field now sits. Public unhappiness with this option was quite clear.

School and County Board members, notably John Vihstadt and Barbara Kanninen, determined that the Integrated option should remain viable.

At this point, the Integrated Option has been formally recommended to the School Board APS Facilities. The School Board will vote to accept or reject that recommendation at its next meeting, on April 5.

Still remaining to be determined: how to come up with the additional five million dollars.