GILROY
– Preparatory design plans for a new elementary school may be
completed before the district buys the land to house the
school.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – Preparatory design plans for a new elementary school may be completed before the district buys the land to house the school.
School Board trustees last Thursday unanimously approved a contract with an architect to develop the new Las Animas’ preliminary building plans for $253,750.
Trustees rejected a similar proposal at their regular meeting Nov. 6 because the contract included more detailed plans at a fee of more than $1 million, which depended upon the purchase of the Greenfield site in Glen Loma Ranch along Santa Teresa Boulevard in southwest Gilroy. Gilroy Unified School District is currently in negotiations to purchase the land.
The schematic and design development that will be completed by Aedis Architects is not tied to a specific site, so even if negotiations fall through and the district must find an alternative site, their plans can still be used. Adapting the preliminary designs to a new site would cost a maximum of $40,000 to $50,000.
“I think what we’re really talking about is a cash flow type of situation, and the real question is … for an exposure of $40,000 to $50,000, should we move forward so that we can still have a chance to open that school in ’06?,” Superintendent Edwin Diaz said.
The district will do as much as it can to design the school without actually tying it to the Greenfield property. GUSD must move forward with some architectural plans now so the final designs can be ready by mid- to late spring at the latest, said Charlie Van Meter, GUSD’s director of facilities and maintenance operations.
“Usually, they do it all at once because they’re adapting it to a site,” Van Meter said. “This way, we’ll have it designed. … What they won’t do is develop all the plans and specifications (needed) to award a contract (to a construction company.)”
The remaining architectural designs will likely be completed when the district acquires land for the new school.
Trustees earlier this month were concerned that the $1 million contract would be risky, saying it could negatively affect negotiations to buy the Greenfield site and the plans would be useless – and the money wasted – if negotiations fell through.
In his recommendation to the board, Van Meter said the risk is no longer an issue because the Glen Loma site has long been identified as the district’s preferred site.
