Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
This 3-D rendering of the design development phase shows the floor layouts of Colfax Junior-Senior High School. Courtesy of Design West Architects.
The Colfax School board Monday night approved the design development phase of the school bond construction project after a presentation by Amy Browne-Minden and Ned Warnick of Design West in Pullman, the district's architects.
The board previously approved the schematic design phase, which began design development, in which renderings are further honed to depict what changes will look like for the junior-senior high school.
The school board approved the design Monday after seeing depictions of each floor of the 1960 high school and zoomed-in slides of various areas such as the auditorium, junior high commons, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) laboratory, main entrance and more.
Browne-Minden showed the slides.
For the auditorium, the board viewed the revamped space with added seats to the balcony and more.
"It'll look like a brand-new space," Browne-Minden said.
Showing a detail slide of the locker room, she pointed out a digital clock screen on the wall that will show how much time remains on the halftime clock of basketball games.
Detail of the STEAM lab showed an open space of work tables with ceiling-mounted power, cords hanging down.
She showed a standard classroom, currently of varying sizes in the school.
"We tried to unify them all," said Browne-Minden, project manager.
The junior high commons area, to be created at the southeast end of the first floor, she described as "like a cul-de-sac."
She then showed a list of bond construction priorities – agreed upon in earlier discussions since the $18.9 million bond passed in February. Divided into "Top," "Medium" and "Low" priority, she ticked off each item, including most of the "low."
As of now, two items excluded from funding are football lights and demolition of the blue bus garage building.
In one change since a public meeting Sept. 20 on schematic designs, a plan for an overhanging "bridge" between the mezzanine levels of the gym to contain the weight "room" was eliminated due to the structure impinging on a third volleyball court during camps and practices.
The weight room has been moved back to part of the mezzanine level above the visitors' bleachers.
Superintendent Pugh noted the weight room use is not only for sports teams but for student weights classes during the day. He said the original layout of the school made it hard to address the needs of a contemporary weight room.
"In 1959-60, weight rooms were not really a concern," he said, noting the size and extent of equipment then required less space.
"The weight room has orbited all around the building," Warnick said.
The wrestling practice area will remain on the mezzanine level, to also be used for P.E. classes and otherwise during the school day and rest of the year. A storage room on the mezzanine floor will be taken out.
"Whatever we do, we do it right, for the right reasons," Pugh said.
Warnick and Minden-Browne designed to a construction budget of $14.5 million, which would not include "soft costs" such as permit fees, furniture and other items.
"Between codes and load-bearing walls, I'm amazed we can do anything," Pugh said.
Work at Jennings Elementary – an entire new roof, HVAC upgrades and renovating the original gym – is included.
Boardmember Terry Huber made a motion to approve. Jennifer Hauser seconded it.
The vote was unanimous.
Construction documents, which Browne-Minden noted she has already started, will need to be approved by the board and a public bid process is expected to begin in January.
Construction would start in April or May 2019.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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