After over two years of discussing proposed new facilities,
including a wrestling and multi-purpose physical education room,
San Benito High School District trustees said this week they’re
ready to take action on some of these building projects
– just not quite yet.
After over two years of discussing proposed new facilities, including a wrestling and multi-purpose physical education room, San Benito High School District trustees said this week they’re ready to take action on some of these building projects – just not quite yet.
At Wednesday night’s board meeting, the trustees looked at a list of facility improvements that had been proposed in the past few years, as well as the estimated cost of each project.
Included on this list were an expansion of the P.E. building, a dance classroom, an intercom system, a library, a student union, a special education building, a new football stadium and an updated auditorium. These projects together would cost an estimated $45 million.
The board decided that certain projects, such as a new special education building and a wrestling room, needed to be high priorities. But before making any decisions, trustees said it’s important to look at the overall master plan for the campus.
Trustee Evelyn Muro said she wanted to see and discuss the master plan so trustees could make decisions on some of the projects.
“I agree that we need to look at the big picture, but I think we need to start looking at the big picture now,” she said.
Trustees estimated they were within one to two months of making important decisions about moving forward on projects.
One decision they must make is whether the district will build a second high school or simply expand the current campus.
Superintendent Stan Rose said especially with proposed projects like a student union building and new library, the district will need a better idea of how big the school will be in years to come before moving forward on the proposals.
But he said other projects could be built regardless of how the campus takes shape.
Rose said the expansion to the P.E. building, which would include the new wrestling room and weight room, was one of these projects. The update of this building was important to ensure the “best possible environment” for students, he said. Rose also said certain projects are important for student safety, such as the one-wire intercom and announcement system, which the accreditation committee has said the school needs.
Some board members also noted how certain projects can be moved to the front burner.
“I think at this point we can decide whether there are some facility projects that we can deal with on an immediate basis without having to decide on some of the long-range plans,” Board President Bill Tiffany said.
Muro said officials have to look at the projects in terms of importance and then the district could take steps toward construction.
“I want to prioritize these things and see what we can afford so that we can live within our means,” Muro said.
San Jose-based Aedis Architects has been working on the facilities master plan for the high school along with several administrators. Tiffany said he would like to hear about how the campus will look before spending the money on the new buildings.
“It seems like there are a bunch of immediate needs on our campus on one hand,” Tiffany said. “On the other hand, we need to get some advice so we don’t plunk down some building that eliminates plans for the future.”
