School district hires architect
By Jim Cornelius

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The Sisters School Board has tapped Scott Steele and Associates of Bend to be the school district's Architect of Record.

Steele's firm will supervise repairs at Sisters High School and would almost certainly act as lead architect in the construction of a new school, should the district seek and pass a bond. The firm would also oversee work at other facilities in the district.

The Bend firm was one of four that made the final cut for selection as Architect Of Record. According to school board members, Scott Steele and Associates offered the strongest working team among the four candidates.

While the firm, launched in 1998, has never been the lead architect on a school building, Steele plans to partner with Lombard-Conrad of Boise, Idaho, a firm that has extensive school design experience, much of it in "snow country."

"Lombard-Conrad has the experience we think is important," said school board chairman Bill Reed.

Although Steele and Associates has not taken the lead in building a school, the firm was in charge of the building of the Deschutes County Fairgrounds complex.

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"That's the biggest project in Deschutes County history," noted Reed.

Steele and Associates was chosen earlier to analyze the deterioration of Sisters High School. Reed acknowledged that may have given the firm a foot in the door.

"I was quite impressed with his (Steele's) ability to diagnose the problems at the high school," Reed said. "Even if it was subconsciously, I think it gave him an edge. But what really did it for me was the reference checking."

Reed said references indicated that Steele is a skilled supervisor, good at solving problems and working with clients and contractors.

Other firms that were in the running brought more direct experience in building school facilities to the table, board members acknowledged. However, they said, once the board understood the nature of the team Steele will assemble, concerns about experience were relieved.

In fact, according to board members, all of the firms consulted planned to outsource work and assemble teams.

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"It was an educational process for the board to understand that it's common for architectural firms to take the team approach to doing these big projects," Reed said.

Several board members indicated that having a local architect who will be on site throughout any construction project was a key factor.

"That might be as important a part of the job as anything else," Reed said.

Steele and Associates also promised not to charge for pre-bond design and community outreach work if a bond does not pass. The firm also offered more services as part of its proposal, according to the district.

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