Welcome to The Renovation Report, a blog dedicated to keeping the Runkle community informed about the upcoming renovation to our building. This first edition is a fairly long summary of the activity which has taken place over months (years!) and is designed to bring everyone up to speed. Future editions will be shorter, more frequent, and targeted at current developments. There is also a digital “suggestion box” which will help keep the Runkle School Building Committee informed about the priorities and concerns of the community.
Design Team
Design Partnership of Cambridge (DPC) is the architect for the project. Other members of the design team include a landscape architect, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineers, a data and communications consultant, a kitchen and food service consultant as well as civil and traffic consultants.
Town Management of Project
The town has empanelled the Runkle School Building Committee, consisting of representatives from the School Committee, the Board of Selectmen, Town Administration, School Administration, the Interim Principal, parents and others. This is the town’s official oversight board for the renovation. There are at least 6 current or former Runkle parents on this committee, so there is a good base of knowledge of the building. The members of the Committee are:
- Nancy Daly, Chairman, Board of Selectmen
- Richard Kelliher, Town Administrator
- Helen Charlupski, School Committee Member
- Glenn Cunha, School Committee Member
- William Lupini, Superintendent of School
- Charles Simmons, Director of Public Buildings
- Joseph Connelly, Interim Principal
- Julie Hackett, Deputy Superintendent
- Sean Cronin, Deputy Town Administrator
- Kenneth Kaplan, Building Commission
- Peter Rowe, Deputy Superintendent
- Karen Breslawski, Parent
- Scott Newman, Parent
Budget
The town has budgeted roughly $26 million for this project which includes all costs including design, construction, landscaping, relocation, furnishings, etc.
Role of State Managers and Funding
In order to seek reimbursement of approximately 40% of the cost of the project, the town has entered into a partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). In exchange for the state’s reimbursement, the town has agreed to work within design, budget and other parameters set by the state as the agency seeks to unify the construction and renovation of schools across Massachusetts. Many aspects of this project, from start to finish, are controlled by the MSBA in exchange for their financial participation. Ours is one of the earliest projects approved under what is a new process for the MSBA. One critical and early “win” for the town and the project was the designation by the state of Tony Guigli as the “Owner’s Project Manager” (OPM). It is part of the MSBA’s process to determine who will be the OPM, and they reserve the right to require that an outside project management firm be hired. However, after reviewing Tony’s record, the MSBA determined that it was in the best interest of the project, the town and the state for him to be designated OPM. Tony has managed many successful building projects here in Brookline over the last 13 years. In his role as OPM, Tony will manage the design team and the general contractor on behalf of the RSBC. He is also the key liaison from the town to the MSBA. In addition to saving the project a great deal of money (reportedly a 7-figure sum), this designation allows the process to be managed by someone who knows Brookline, knows our buildings and knows our processes rather a private firm that would have had to come up to speed on all these fronts.
Timing
The project is estimated to begin site preparation and construction after the end of the 2009/10 school year and be complete in time for start of school, September 2012.
Temporary Relocation of School During Construction
During the two academic years of construction (2010/11 and 2011/12), Runkle will be housed at the Old Lincoln School (OLS) on Rt. 9 near Brookline Village (where several other schools and, most recently, Town Hall, have relocated during their renovation projects.) Students will be bussed from pick-up points within their neighborhood directly to OLS and back again after school. A team of people (parents, staff, administration) has already begun the process of identifying how we will configure and use this space during our stay.
Current Phase of Work
Design Partnership of Cambridge is currently in the Feasibility Study portion of the project during which it is soliciting as much relevant information as possible about the town’s/school’s/community’s concerns and needs for the renovation, in preparation for presenting design proposals towards the end of April, 2009. They have heard (or will shortly be hearing) directly from teachers, district administrators, parents/public, RED, neighbors (especially direct abutters), PTO, School Council, specialists, cafeteria staff, custodial staff, and other constituents. This process is on-going and DPC is eager to hear as many concerns and ideas as possible during this feasibility phase.
Key Design and Construction Considerations
A final requirements assessment has not been made (bluntly: nothing on this list is a “done deal”), but we feel it’s useful to articulate some of the ideas/concerns that already have been raised and achieved some consensus and are under serious consideration as DPC formulates its proposals. Among them are:
- Provide classroom capacity for approximately 560 kids (currently around 460) with enough space to house 3 classes per grade.
- Bring the school cafeteria up to the MSBA standard of capacity which would service everyone in 3 lunch periods, rather than the current 5.
- Restore/recreate a large performance space, preferably an auditorium with a raised stage and sloped seating.
- Consider co-locating the library and a computer lab.
- Create dedicated space for the extended day program (R.E.D.)
- Designate space for our pre-school program (BEEP) including an office and meeting space.
- Address the shortage of meeting space in the building.
- Address the shortage of office space for the clinical staff (guidance, social worker, school psychologist, etc.)
- Address the lack of storage and office space for the elementary world language program.
- Prioritize “green” building initiatives and practices wherever possible, including areas of potential instruction for the kids: e.g. science garden.
- Improve the flow of students between cafeteria and outdoor play areas.
- Enlarge the gym, allowing for a standard-sized basketball court. Possibly create a secondary facility (with standard ceiling height) that could house non-ball-playing physical education instruction (i.e. yoga, dance, etc.).
- Preserve, if at all possible, the outdoor amphitheater area in front of the building with its tiled wall that was created by students.
- Add bathroom space throughout the school.
- Create better storage space on each floor, preferably near bathrooms, to improve custodial efficiency.
- Add an elevator and other features required for the building to be fully accessible to all.
- Improve the flow of traffic on the streets surrounding the school, paying particular attention to morning drop-off, afternoon pick-up, unsafe pedestrian conditions at the Buckminster/Druce/Chesham intersection as well as the Druce/Dean intersection.
- Evaluate the parking situation, particularly with the expanded staff required for an expanded student population. Consider the implications of on-site and street parking. Investigate the possibility of subsidizing public transportation for staff so they have an additional incentive to leave their cars at home.
- Improve the seasonally hotter-than-Hades situation on the third floor.
- Provide natural light for classroom spaces.
- Bring back a dedicated music room.
- Minimize encroachment on outdoor play areas—they are already too small for our population. While the field is too small for any sort of regulation sized soccer field, baseball field, etc., a more level playing field (literally!), would be a huge improvement.
- Improve the flow of human traffic through the narrow hallways, particularly on the third floor where the kids are bigger and the lockers extend out into the hallway space.
- Create better student storage space throughout the building for coats, backpacks, etc.
- Update basic systems (electrical, heat, plumbing, etc.) and bring the building up to the town’s IT standards while allowing for intelligent upgrading as time and technology cycles require.
- Increase space for our health clinic.
- Create a proper loading dock, preferably with storage nearby. (This has been requested both by the custodial staff as well as the Druce Street abutters.)
- Improve/expand kitchen facility. It is undersized even for our current population.
- Create appropriate classroom spaces for our Learning Center and other special education programs designed to meet student needs.
- Stay on time and on budget. (Those familiar with the MSBA’s new process indicate that we can have confidence in their ability to deliver on this goal. The quote was “there won’t be any cost or schedule overruns with this new process.”)
- Minimize the inconvenience to neighbors as much as possible, paying particular attention to noise and dust. The architect will be meeting directly with abutters to listen to their concerns and establish an effective, on-going feedback loop as the project unfolds.
Renovation v. New Building
Many have wondered whether the town would possibly tear down the building and build a new one. While DPC is still formulating its recommendations, the firm expectation of the town, the RSBC and the MSBA is that our project will be a renovation.
Next Steps
There will be another public meeting, currently planned for late April early May, at which the design team will present its findings and propose possible designs, with corresponding first-cut budgets. Check back here or look for notices from the town and/or in Runkle News advertising this important meeting.
Finally, the PTO has set up a form on the new Runkle website for giving feedback and suggestions for the project in the following areas: Interior Spaces, Exterior Spaces, Landscaping, Design and Construction Process, Traffic and Parking, Neighborhood Concerns, Relocation to Old Lincoln School and “Other”. These comments will be forwarded to the RSBC and/or the architect for consideration. Click here make a comment or submit a suggestion.
