DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING #8

Bassetti Architects met with the Evergreen Design Review Committee on January 20, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. via Zoom.

The architects, staff and community members reviewed their progress, then discussed a slightly revised site plan that represents the nearly completed schematic design.

The key change since the December meeting was to relocate the tennis courts in the design from the west side to the southeast portion of the site. This was driven primarily by working with existing topography, which helps reduce cost by limiting the amount of dirt that needs to be moved either on or off the site and reducing the need for retaining walls. With this change, the existing parking lot to the west can be used with minimal reconfiguration. It reduces the amount of parking at the heart of the site. The revisions focus visitors to the main entry. Additionally, the courtyards between and around the buildings show further design development.

The architects summarized the images that the committee highlighted at the previous meeting. The most frequent feedback included: a warm and welcoming environment; use of wood to evoke warmth; trees, especially evergreens to highlight the school's name and incorporate natural landscape; the importance of daylight; and a desire for gathering spaces indoors and outdoors for the school and community.

The committee reviewed draft floor plans for the Commons, courtyards, learning spaces and administrative spaces. In small group break-out sessions, committee members offered feedback on aspects they liked or disliked.

The review committee will meet again in August, at the end of the next design phase for the architects—design development.

NEXT STEPS FOR DESIGN

Next steps this spring and summer include:

1. Schematic design report.
2. Cost estimates and budget reconciliation.
3. Third-party value engineering process.
4. District review of schematic design documents.
5. District approval and notice to proceed to the design development phase
6. Ongoing educational programming meetings with school and department staff to refine the floor plans and design of the school to match up with school needs and district standards, keeping in mind the need for future flexibility.

CONSTRUCTION DEPENDS ON VOTER APPROVAL OF A FUTURE BOND

The timeline for additional efforts will be dictated by a school board decision in late summer about whether to place the next school construction bond on November 2022 election ballots.

Community meetings to share the proposed Evergreen design and receive feedback are tentatively planned for September or October. The creation of construction documents for the new building also could begin in early fall.

If the school board decides to place a construction bond on November ballots, and if the measure was approved, the current Evergreen design timeline would make the start of construction possible in fall 2023, with completion of the new school building possible by fall 2025, followed by demolition of the old building and construction of new fields in the southwest portion of the site during the 2025-26 school year.

ADDITIONAL EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN SKETCHES