High School
Building Committee
Wayland, Massachusetts
Fall
2009
The Question To determine whether the
Town will appropriate an additional $45.1 million dollars (total project budget
$70.8 million) for the design, construction and other expenses to expand and
modernize Wayland High School.
November 18, 2009 Special Town
Meeting
Background Since 2001, committees
have been working to determine the most cost-efficient solution for the
facility needs at Wayland High School.
The current High School Building Committee (HSBC), formed in 2003, has
been actively working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)
since it resumed its grant program in 2006. In 2007, MSBA agreed that action was needed and invited
Wayland to proceed with its next step, Feasibility Study and Schematic
Design. The HSBC hired HMFH Architects
and KV Associates to develop an educational plan, evaluate various solutions to
the problem, including renovation of existing buildings, and work closely with
MSBA to choose a preferred option.
Schematic designs and a budget for the preferred option were presented
to MSBA at their September 30 Board Meeting and Wayland was awarded a $25
million state grant. Now, the Town
of Wayland has 120 days to approve the project and proceed, or forgo the grant.
The Need Facility Age and Condition —The school was opened in 1960
and last renovated in 1991. The
building now requires significant upgrading, including health and safety code
upgrades, a septic treatment plant, access for the disabled, and modernization
for areas and building systems at or near the end of their expected life. Changing Educational Standards—Building
utilization has changed considerably in the past 50 years due to more rigorous
college requirements, greater participation in academics and co-curricular
activities, technology, and changing legal requirements such as special
education and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the 2005 accreditation review, the New England
Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) cited Wayland High School for
numerous health, safety and educational facility issues and required special progress
reports. OSHA and the DEP
have also noted the schoolÕs failure to comply with current standards. Enrollment Growth—Enrollment
grew 18% between 2002 and 2007 to 919 students, and is projected between
800-900 for many years to come.
Current WHS enrollment is 903 and conditions are Òseverely overcrowded,Ó
according to the NEASC.
Options and
The
HSBC design team, working closely with the School Department, conducted an
Educational
Strategies Planning
and Visioning effort that yielded an educational
program specification. It spells
out the size and type of educational spaces needed at the school based on
enrollment. The requested space
was carefully scrutinized, cut back to a minimum based
on educational priorities, compared to the existing facility, and evaluated
against current MSBA standards. It
was approved by MSBA in June for an enrollment of 900.
Over the summer the HSBC studied several
construction options for satisfying the educational specification, including
renovation, partial renovation, and several new construction schemes. The
costs of these schemes was estimated and compared. The recommended approach is new construction of two
buildings on the site of the existing main parking lots, and a renovation of
the field house. In July the MSBA
concurred with this approach and approved proceeding with the Schematic Design.
Alternatives The team considered other
alternatives for cost reduction, including reducing program space, creating
smaller projects over a longer time, and a Òstop gapÓ project to address
building code issues and immediate space needs. The Òstop gapÓ project would cost the town nearly as much as
the preferred option, but would not satisfy the educational program, meet MSBA
guidelines, or fully address the NEASC issues.
The Design The new design includes a 100,000 sq.
ft. Classroom Building organized along clusters of small learning communities,
with a central library and media center.
There is also a new 54,000 sq. ft. Commons Building that contains the
dining commons, administration and guidance, music and art classrooms, and a
multi-use auditorium. The existing
38,000 sq. ft. field house will be fully renovated on all levels. The new buildings will be constructed
on the site of the existing main parking lots, which allows the current
buildings to be used during construction.
The new design is more environmentally
friendly, as the parking lots will move further away from the Happy Hollow wells
and conservation land than today.
