Lebanon
Many of the district’s schools are in need of security updates, according to Marinace Architects, a New Hampton, N.H.-based firm. Others, the firm said, should be outfitted with more classrooms, multipurpose spaces and safer parking lots.
The firm, which designed the expansion at Mascoma Valley Regional High School, was hired early this summer to examine long-standing issues with aging school buildings, said School Board member Wendy Hall, who added she hopes the findings start a districtwide discussion.
“Do our aging buildings allow us to provide the best education possible for our students as we prepare them for a future beyond our walls?” Hall asked fellow board members.
However, both the architects and Hall stressed that Wednesday’s proposal amounted to a “first pass” on designs that could be subject to change.
The plans would change the physical layout of most Lebanon schools, but renovations would be most costly at Lebanon High School, where they’ve proposed the construction of a $12 million addition on the building’s north side. The addition would include a 650-seat auditorium, band room and set design space, as well as a “new secure, visible, accessible entry” and student center.
If district decided to forgo the auditorium, costs at the school could decrease to roughly $1.5 million, said Paul Marinace, an architect at the firm, which specializes in school buildings.
Hanover Street School also would see major improvements from nearly $9 million in additions and renovations to classrooms, Marinace said.
Continue reading after the PDF of a presentation by Marinace Architects, a New Hampton, N.H.-based firm. Page 28 includes an illustration of a proposed new auditorium at Lebanon High School.
“Most of the future growth in the district at this age level, we’re thinking, will be at this school,” he said.
There, teachers and parents have long struggled with inadequate library space and a cafeteria that’s shared with the high school, architects found.
They recommend converting two classrooms into a new, 3,200-square-foot cafeteria with 160 seats, which would partially be accomplished by filling in a courtyard between the two buildings.
A new addition to the side of the elementary school also would offer a “prominent new building front” with a secure entry and “welcoming lobby.” Plans also show a new office suite, three additional classrooms and an expanded library as part of the construction.
Renovating the building’s special services classrooms also could better serve students, the architects said.
Parking plans are still conceptual, but Marinace proposed $1.5 million for the separation of the high and elementary school parking lots, with a renovation that also provides a new bus loop, drop-off location and 104 additional parking spaces.
At the Mount Lebanon School, the architects found problems with the building’s existing entrance, saying the current drop-off area is “potentially dangerous.” They also said there’s poor visibility to the front entrance, as well as security issues at the entryway.
The architects recommend using $3.7 million on an addition to that building’s south end, complete with a new lobby and office suite that addresses space needs requested by teachers. The school also should expand the gym into a 4,200-square-foot multipurpose room that contains a new kitchen, handicap-accessible stage and gym storage, Marinace said.
Proposals for Lebanon Middle School, the district’s newest building, largely revolved around traffic. The architects propose spending nearly half a million dollars for 22 new parking spaces to be created there, as well as the installation of sidewalks to and from Moulton Avenue.
Overall, the recommendations are similar to those made to the board last year by Prismatic Services Inc., a North Carolina-based consulting firm that was retained to work on the district’s three-year strategic plan.
Prismatic found that the district’s buildings were sound, but should be updated to continue providing services to students well into the future. In a draft report presented to the School Board in March 2016, the consultants recommended more than $6 million in necessary repairs on school buildings and energy systems, with another $4 million in recommended upgrades.
In meetings with schools officials, Prismatic consultants recommended meeting with architects to further design improvements and discuss possible updates in more detail.
School Board members also were presented on Wednesday with nearly $4.1 million in repairs to energy infrastructure.
The district is considering entering into a 20-year performance contracting agreement with Trane Building Advantage, which would provide the funding for improvements while recouping energy savings made afterward.
“If you chose this route, contractually, we own the savings,” said Matt Wilson, an account executive based in the company’s Manchester office.
Wilson said Trane would provide the funds for projects such as new HVAC units, solar panels and water conservation systems. Together, those efforts could net the district $6.5 million in savings over two decades. However, the contract likely would only return almost $300,000 to the district budget in that time.
If the board elected to sign a contract with Trane, it would require a vote during the district’s annual meeting in March, with construction on new energy systems taking place over the summer, Wilson said.
School Board members took no action on the proposals on Wednesday, ultimately opting to discuss the plans at their next meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, at Lebanon Middle School.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamer ato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.