Hollister
– Hollister School District administrators have taken the first
big step toward the modernization and renovation of several
schools.
Hollister – Hollister School District administrators have taken the first big step toward the modernization and renovation of several schools.
Superintendent Ron Crates has selected HMC Architecture, Planning and Interior Design for the site improvements and construction at Calaveras, Cerra Vista, Rancho San Justo, Sunnyslope and R.O. Hardin. He will make his recommendation that the school district enter into a contract with HMC at the school board meeting today.
“All firms were really highly qualified, but because of the variety of services and the depth of the services at HMC, I chose them,” Crates said.
Crates said specifically he was im-pressed with the facilities and master planning work that had been done by HMC at other schools.
The firm will be hired to build multi-use buildings at Calaveras and Cerra Vista. In addition, the firm will work on modernization and renovation at Rancho San Justo, R.O. Hardin and Sunnyslope.
School district administrators will meet with parents and community members to discuss what the priorities are for facility improvement at each school.
The renovation will focus on improving the fields and facilities of the schools.
“This is a quality of life issue for the community, to provide infrastructure for the community,” Crates said. He added that the entire community uses the fields and multi-purpose rooms at the schools.
The process of selecting the firm began in late September 2006. Construction is not expected to start until 2009.
A committee narrowed the applicant pool from 10 firms that submitted proposals to two firms. The final two were interviewed and committee members visited some of the firms’ previous school sites. Once it was down to two, Crates held additional interviews and made his selection.
The exact cost of the construction work is unknown at this time.
Part of the funding for the renovation will come from Proposition 1D, which was passed by California voters in the November 2006 election. The proposition will provide $10.4 billion in funding for repairing older schools. The schools will be provided with a match of around 40 or 50 cents by the state for every dollar spent by the local school district, Crates said.
“This is a long-term plan, but I need to take advantage of state money,” Crates said. “When you get that type of money from the state, it would be foolish of us not to take advantage of this match.”
While the architect selection process has been long and in-depth, it is only the first of several steps before construction can begin.
“It’s a very laborious process after selecting an architect,” said Alice Flores, president of the school board and a member of the evaluation committee. “We’re looking at very long-range plans so that we have goals for modernization. Over time, you’ll see a great deal of changes.”
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. You can reach her at (831) 637-5566 ext. 336 or at [email protected].
