· Why don’t we have detailed plans for the buildings?
Detailed plans and drawings aren’t free and can cost quite a bit of money. The public facilities committee, along with district personnel and the district architect had quite a bit of discussion about the needs of the district and came up with plans and concepts on what needed to be included in the bond. Detailed drawings are very expensive and are done primarily after all parties have had a chance to give input. The district did not want to incur costs for these detailed drawings until the bond was passed.
· How can cost estimates be done if you don’t have detailed plans?
Our architects are familiar with the type of buildings a school district must construct to meet state and federal guidelines. They have designed and constructed similar buildings in the past plus have access to statistical data that shows what current square footage costs are for these types of structures. They understand and know what other fees and costs the district will have in conjunction with these projects. Using this data and their experience they are able to come up with reasonable estimates of the costs. Remember, these are estimates and take into account inflationary pressures that could affect the costs before the projects are built. Hopefully the actual costs for these projects will come in under the estimates and under budget. That is always our intent.
· So if the projects are completed for less than the bond amount what happens to the rest of the money?
If the bond funds cannot be spent on one of the four designated and identified needs then it will not be spent on any other project not listed in the bond or not approved by the voters.
· I can go out and build a barn or house much cheaper than what you are proposing, why can’t you do it for the same cost that I can?
A school district, especially when constructing facilities for children, is highly regulated and subject to many federal and state guidelines concerning the type of construction, the layout of the buildings, the safety and security of the facilities, class room sizes, how many restrooms we need, etc. We also must design our facilities to meet all of their needs including cafeterias to feed them, healthcare facilities and more. We must meet these guidelines and in doing so it does cost more to build school facilities than private ones. The buildings we construct must be appropriate for the types of students who will be educated there. We won’t have just a few people using the facilities but hundreds and in some case thousands of students, staff, parents and the public that will be using the facility each year. Understand that the buildings we construct are done so in a way that they can handle the wear, tear and usage of all of those who will use that facility in the next 40 to 50 to 60 years and beyond. Remember that these buildings are not just used for educational purposes but are also used by the community for meetings, athletic events and other activities. These facilities must be constructed in such a way that it can handle all of that and still be functional for many, many years to come.
· What kind of materials will be used to construct these facilities?
Until the design is complete we cannot tell you exactly what will be used to construct the facilities. We can tell you that in most cases it will be steel and brick structures that will be appropriate for their intended use. It will be constructed out of long lasting and durable components that will last for the intended life span of the facility and we will use materials that will allow it to blend in with the other buildings in the district.
· Who decides on what is exactly going to be built and how it is designed?
The process began several years ago as the district held facility meetings which included the public, district administrators and the school board. This was the basis of the bond process. Since that time our architects have met with district staff, the public, our students and our board of trustees. Through all of those meetings they have compiled everyones thoughts, suggestions and comments. The architects have also done reviews and inspections of our current facilities in order to identify where we currently stand on our facilities. When the design phase begins, the architects will continue seeking that input and will get even more focused on the individual designs in the bond. They will meet with our teachers, our district administrators, our students and the public. From these meetings they will design the facilities they feel are best suited for the district and which meets our needs. They will present these preliminary designs to a district facility committee which will review and suggest any changes or modifications to the plans. After this is done the committee will need to sign off on the design and then this will be presented to the Board of Trustees for their review, comments and ultimately their approval. The board is elected by the community and they are the ones who will give the final approval for the design and construction of the facilities. As we move into construction if there are required modifications the administration and board will be fully aware of the changes and will have to approve those changes. All of this will take place during our board meetings which are open to the public.
If you have other questions, please do not hesitate to contact Sheri Blankenship at (806) 363-7600. The next public meeting is scheduled for May 4, 2017 at 7:00pm at the Hereford Community Center. Early vote begins April 24th through April 28th from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and election day is May 6, 2017 at the Hereford Community Center from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Please vote and vote informed.