What the hey:
Committee members were given a “fly-over view” PowerPoint presentation of the new high school by ATS&R architects. The new 400,000 square foot school will feature an all brick exterior with contrasting colors to give the building a prairie-style look. Other features include a glassed-in clock tower that will hold the original clock of the former high school that was located on the site where Clinton Rosette now stands. The facility will include a 2500-seat capacity competitive gymnasium plus an athletic field house. According to a report in the Northern Star the facility may have a football stadium as well.
Let’s review. They’ve chosen brick over precast, which would have saved mightily on labor costs. They’ve refused to downsize in spite of the dramatic change in projected enrollment, and they’ve rejected the idea to leave the clock tower as a project for private funding. Somehow we ended up with a field house in the plan, the indoor track has lengthened, and a verbal (FPC) agreement to provide stadium “infrastructure” has turned into a proposal to build the entire stadium.
BTW, last month at the Facilities Planning Committee meeting, Dr. Briscoe asked the architects to look into the cost of building new elementary schools as part of the Phase 2 “equity referendum” discussion.
We’re on the verge of a Big D and they’re still spending money like drunken sailors. My apologies to sailors, actually: at least they spend their own money and they get a grip once they sober up.
