Westwood High School
Site-Based Advisory Committee
Monday, March 17, 2008
4:30 p.m., Room 103
The meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m.
Committee members attending were: Steve Bratteng, Sharon Cassady, Becky Donald, Kathy Gregg, Brian McDonough, and Penny Smeltzer.
Guest: Mike with Anderson Mill Neighborhood Association
Welcome:
Becky welcomed everyone to the meeting, reviewed an overview of the meeting and asked if there were any celebrations.
Celebrations:
· Spring Break was wonderful and we returned to a 4 day week. Good Friday is a holiday.
· Debate went to State and is continuing forward.
· DECA is continuing to International Competition in Georgia
· TAKS administration was successful
Excellence Fund:
Becky Donald shared that the Site-Based Sub-Committee met on Thursday, March 6th to review the Excellence Fund Wish List and chose the requests that they felt were the best selections to fund for Westwood academics.
As of March 6th, the budget was approximately $5900.00. Since this date, PTSA has donated $6000.00, bringing the available budget to $11,000.00+.
A handout of the Wish List was provided to all Site-Based members and Becky reviewed each request item and stated which ones were approved for funding and which items were not.
Kathy Gregg moved to accept the Sub-Committee recommendations and it was seconded by Penny Smeltzer. A vote was taken and passed unanimously.
Review Construction Plans:
Each member of the Site-Based Committee was provided with two handouts showing the most recent drawings of the construction plans.
Amy Jones and Jason Fryer with O’Connell Robertson presented their update of the Westwood High School Phase I Master Plan Project.
Amy stated that they would review the Project Schedule and Components, what was entailed in each and when they would take place. She shared that we are currently in schematic design and their proposal would be presented to the RRISD Board of Directors on April 17, 2008.
Site work drawings should be complete in June, with construction beginning in July 2008. The design work for the first building structure in the front will be September, with the ground breaking in September 2008. This part of the project should be complete in the summer of 2009.
Component I
· Abatement of theatre in June with demolition to follow as well as moving several portables. This should be complete by July.
· August 2008, the traffic patterns will be re-adjusted to enter from Lake Creek Parkway. The front visitors parking area will be closed which will cause the lose of 23 parking slots during construction.
Component II – September 2008 – November 2008
· On the theatre side of Mellow Meadow, two practice fields will be created and there will be room left for a 3rd practice field in the future if needed. One portable will be moved to the area reserved for the 3rd practice field, and all but 2 of the other portables will stay as they are for the time being.
Questions were raised by committee members about restroom facilities for the new practice field area. Plumbing for restrooms is not currently budgeted in the design. Concerns for restrooms will be taken into consideration and Amy agreed to have one of their engineers formulate a cost of how much it would be to include restrooms.
Component III – November 2008 – February 2009
· Start new softball field where old practice fields were and a pedestrian walkway will be put in joining the baseball field and softball field. The restrooms will serve the baseball and softball fields.
Component IV
· Parking will be put in where the old softball field was along Lake Creek. This will increase the parking places from 895 to 1039.
· Curb cut out along Lake Creek for new entrance road
· Installing retention ponds
Component V – May 2009 – July 2009
· Eight new tennis courts built by the new practice fields over the summer of 2009. The old courts will become additional parking. Parking spaces will increase from 1039 to 1152.
All of the previous components listed should be completed by August 2009.
2008-2009 will be a very transitional year, especially with the new traffic flow. It is very possible a person will be needed to direct traffic until the flow becomes familiar.
The floor was open for discussion and questions.
Renovations and Additions – August 2008 – April 2009
· Overview of the front building was presented
· Current front entrance will be blocked off and a temporary entrance will be created
· The old office will become classrooms/labs
During this time frame Life Skills will be renovated as well.
Classroom and Administrative Additions
· First building will be administrative offices on the first floor and classrooms/labs on the second floor.
· Current front canopy will be an enclosed walkway when complete and after school starts in the mornings, guests will have to enter through the office before entering the main campus
· The current canopy between the 2 gyms will be enclosed as a “gathering space” (circulation space).
Items to be looked in to:
· Restrooms at new practice fields
· Check on restroom usage in success portable
· Traffic flow on Lake Creek backing up
· Saving trees
· What space will be cut from hallways
Other Good Stuff:
2008 Public Bond Forum at Westwood H.S., March 25, 2008. This meeting will be in Dining Hall I and starts at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m.