by newsposter » Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:40 am
Western Canada High School
Partial Modernization Project
Minutes of Stakeholders Meeting
Nov. 20, 2008-11-20
Superintendent of Facilities and Environmental Services, Frank Coppinger opened the meeting and welcomed all participants. He provided a quick summary of what had occurred since the last stakeholder group meeting, in the spring.
• Stantec has been engaged to do strategic management of the project, including business management, monitoring the quality of work, risk management and cost forecasting;
• Cohos Evamy has been retained as Architectural and Engineering Consultants;
• Spiegel-Skillen has been hired as cost consultants; and
• Clark Builders have been retained to make the whole thing work. They will hire the subcontractors and get all the work done without unduly interrupting the learning of students in the school.
Stantec’s Ben Popadiuk gave an overview of the project’s history. It has been one year since provincial funding for the project was announced and the stakeholder group began formal discussions and to consider alternatives. Much has occurred in the 12 months since then. The project team carefully examined the alternatives and put a realistic plan of action together. They issued a Request For Proposal (RFP), and awarded the project management contract to Stantec in April, followed by the architectural and engineering contract to Cohos-Evamy.
Over the summer, the project team was in the school, planning the project. They then put together an RFP for a construction manager, won by Clark Builders. Planning sessions for the team were held weekly. The team developed a budget to get the best value for the dollars we have. Now with the economy slowing down, we think we’re in a good position to get the necessary work done by qualified people, within the budget alotted.
Doug Cinnamon of Cohos-Evamy presented project scope, schedule and costs.
He assured the group his team was committed to doing the best they can with the $35 million. Not part of the project scope, but an area where the team saw a good opportunity for parent and student fundraising, is with the courtyards.
Historical Preservation
Lorne Simpson, Cohos-Evamy, is working on the historical preservation of the building. He described the challenge, beginning with the masonry roof, where there is a whole series of buildings, built at various times, linked by a series of roofs, all in varying conditions. All deteriorated roofing will be replaced under the project scope. New roofing will be added where the roof is disturbed to add new roof top mechanical units.
Window sills will be part of the early work. Carved sandstone will be repaired or replaced. There will be some repairs on the parapets and pillars. Glass block will be repaired and concrete columns repaired.
Over the summer, the team isolated and identified all masonry and window areas and is getting cost estimates done. They are doing a mock-up of one area in a courtyard to do some dry run testing as one way to get the most value from the money we’re spending on the project.
Windows in the building range from replacement to repair – quite a wide range. The key consideration is to keep in mind the heritage nature of the school while planning the restoration.
Kevin Sullivan, Cohos-Evamy, reiterated the project priorities:
• Safety and comfort for student learning;
• Roof and window repair or replacement to preserve historic features; and
• connectivity for 21st Century learning – the goal is to provide wired access to every classroom and staff office area in the school. The team is already meeting with users and other stakeholders to determine priorities.
Mechanical/Electrical Scope
Mechanical, electrical and IT work accounts for about half of the budget. The goal is to improve the internal air quality, safety and reduce energy. Water service will be upgraded for sprinklers, the control systems will be updated, including new fire alarms, new exit lighting and new emergency lighting. There will be quieter, more energy-efficient, plumbing fixtures and piping as well as new lighting.
Barrier Free Access
There is currently no barrier-free access that would meet the City of Calgary building codes. The plan is to provide such access in a number of areas throughout the school, including:
-installing a front entrance ramp into the front lobby;
-adding an elevator at the north end of the east courtyard;
-replacing existing ramps with new ones, to code; and
-upgrading washrooms to barrier-free access.
Upgrades to the main lobby are contemplated – brighten it up with new lighting, new surfaces.
No broad painting program is contemplated – classrooms will be painted where the work is going on.
Sustainability
Another objective of the project team is to “tread as lightly as we can” on the environment while making changes to the interior of the school, including:
o Acoustics
o Lighting
o Temperature control
o Indoor air quality
Resources and materials in the school will be reused where possible, content will be recycled. Material will be locally sourced. Attention will be paid to waste management and water and energy efficiency throughout the project.
Schedule
The project is expected to be completed in July 2011 – basically two-and-a-half years, working through two summers. Beginning in November, 2008, the next three months will consist of consultant coordination, preliminary costing, design review, and review and permitting with all authorities having jurisdiction over the project, including CBE approvals. The project tender documents will start going out in January/February, 2009.
Summary of the Project Scope
Windows
Exterior envelope -- roof and walls
Communications and IT connectivity
Barrier free access
Hazardous material removal
Mechanical renovations
Electrical renovations
Architectural upgrades
Total Construction project costs $29.9 million
Soft costs (consulting, design) $ 5.1 million
Total Project Cost $35.0 million
These are our targets. We have contingencies in place.
Project Coordination
Bruce Clark, from Clark Builders, spoke about phasing and coordination of the project to ensure student and staff safety throughout construction. His crew will work closely with school staff to coordinate the work to make sure there is minimal disruption to student learning.
The School’s Perspective
Carol Grant-Watt, Principal, Western Canada said that students were excited and energized about the project, the staff is nervous but keen. She acknowledged the tremendous support of the parents and the broader community. She said she was assured by the contractors’ concern for student learning. Everyone believes the students are worth the investment.
Assistant principal Jayme Macdonald will be the face of the renovation.
Questions/Comments
Q: Are you planning to host an open house for the community and for parents?
A: We have a communication plan in place. We will work with the school administration and project team to conduct tours/open houses for various stakeholders as appropriate so as not to disrupt the work.
Comment: (Parent) I’m really thrilled. You guys have done a phenomenal job!
Q: Will there be coverage for Jayme when he’s doing this work.
A: We are in discussion on that front. The question is not “if,” but “how much?” of Jayme’s time can be dedicated to the project. We have a commissioning budget that we can tap in to for this.
Q: What is a “soft cost?”
A: Soft costs include a wide range of design fees, consulting fees, project management fees and permit fees.
Q: How will you be Increasing IT connectivity to students?
A: We are working through that now in consultation with the school administration, looking at how this can best be achieved. We are committed to improving connectivity to improve student learning.
Q: What about the opportunity for development of the courtyards. Are there any plans? Or is it just an idea?
A: We have talked about it since the beginning, as an ideal way of getting parents and students involved. We think the best way to do that is for the school to put together a steering committee The project architects would be happy to meet with the committee and help scope out some ideas.
Q: Will the courtyards be usable at the end of this project?
A: Yes, absolutely, they will be safe and usable.
Q: Is there a possibility of accessing other funding for longer term sustainability?
A: There are actually very few rebates available for commercial projects. Most are centred around renewable energy projects, such as solar water heating, which are not part of the scope of this project.
Q: During construction, will students be accommodated in the existing building?
A: Our plan is to accommodate classes in existing spaces in the building -- not to have portables. l
Comment: (Community representative) We are thrilled this is happening, glad the exterior of the building will be preserved.
Q: How far down the road are you envisioning community meetings regarding the construction impact, e.g. trees on the Grand Allee?
A: We’re not at the point where we would know the details or the timing of that. Part of that will be Jayme’s job.
Q: Would Stantec and Clark Builders be prepared to sign on to Code of Practice?
A: We would need to talk about that as a project team.
Q: How much of the historical façade will be changed?
A: The school will look the same or be improved – looking at it from across the street, you won’t be able to tell the difference.
Q: What do you mean by “more water efficient” – does that include washrooms?
A: Yes, it means mostly the washrooms.
Q: Considering the changing economic conditions – if you find there is extra money, how would that money be spent?
A: We would work with CBE. We have up to $100 million worth of upgrades on our original list of potential project priorities. Currently the architectural upgrades are at the bottom of that list. If we find we are under budget in our priority areas, the additional funds would go towards architectural improvements.
Q: Fundraising – are there limits to the amount we can raise? We believe we could galvanize the community around this.
A: We would like to take that question back to the Board of Trustees and get back to the school community with an answer.
Q: Could parents do volunteer work, e.g. painting?
A: The CBE is a unionized environment. However, there is a process in place whereby school communities can negotiate with the CBE and its unions to do some of this work. For fundraising and volunteer activities, it might be best to target certain areas for specific fundraising initiatives and work with the school principal as you plan this.
Q: Could students be involved in the construction – especially the esthetic portions? E.g. colors of walls in the washrooms, etc.
A: The architects and contractors will meet with staff and students to look at the outline planned, and involve students where there is an opportunity to do so.
Q: What about the basement? Will any work go on there?
A: Those are not public or student spaces, however there is a lot of work is going on in that area – most of it is about pipes and wires. The foundation is sound.
Q: Will there be work on the water in the fountains? It doesn’t taste good.
A: We can definitely squeeze some water fountains into the scope of the project.
Comment: (Senior heritage planner, City of Calgary) I am very pleased with what the CBE is doing, not only on this project, but on Safran and Connaught Schools as well. You will gain huge sustainability by making the planned changes.
Communication
The CBE is committed to keeping stakeholders informed of the project progress, primarily through the school and CBE website. Questions and answers will be posted regularly. The school principal and AP will be the point people for the day-to-day communication on the project. Regular updates will be provided to the Board of Trustees by Superintendent Coppinger. All media inquiries will be handled by CBE Communications Services to maintain consistency of messages.