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Board approves high school schematic design
By Jim Cornelius

After sending architects back to the drawing board over the past two months to come up with a smaller, less-expensive school design, the school board finally approved a schematic design for a 147,500-square-foot school on Monday, November 19.

The design cost is estimated at $20,874,000 -- under the budget set earlier this month of $21 million.

The design includes a 920-seat auditorium (see related story, page 1). Architects trimmed out about 8,000 square feet by shrinking hallways and the size of the commons.

The design also eliminates some locker room space, and some athletic and parking facilities.

The schematic design phase of the project stretched from a projected three months to over five months and required redrawing of plans.

The architects, Scott Steele Associates, asked for and received payment for $7,622 for extra work entailed in the redesign of the project.

Additional redesign fees will be requested for the month of November.

Those fees stopped with Monday's decision to accept the schematic design.

The architects will now move on to the detailed design phase.

The board also decided to pursue an alternative contracting method for the project in an effort to save money and possibly open the school earlier. The "Construction Manager/General Contractor" (CMGC) arrangement brings a contractor onboard early, so that the builder can offer alternatives in design, materials and construction techniques that could save substantial costs.

"I think there's some real cost savings and probably some better quality by going this route," said board member Steve Keeton, who is a professional contractor.

The board agreed to include a clause in the CMGC agreement allowing the district to sever the contract if the City of Sisters vote to annex the school property fails in March. That way, the district would not incur extra costs while pursuing annexation alternatives.

The specter of a "no" vote on annexation has loomed increasingly large over the board's deliberations. Sisters resident Mel Bryan raised the possibility that discontented voters, worried about the economy, could turn the district down.

He urged the board to reconsider high school plans.

Board chair Heather Wester questioned Bryan as to what good could come of a "no" vote, since the bonds are sold and taxes have been levied.

"It would mess us up," she said, forcing the district to drill water wells and use septic tanks instead of city services. But a school will still be built.

"Our school would be smaller and look uglier," she said.

Voters within the city limits of Sisters favored the bond for the new high school in the March election by a margin of a couple of percentage points, according to schools superintendent Steve Swisher.

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