For nearly an hour Tuesday night, members of the Gainesville City School Board heard from architects and engineers tasked with designing a new Enota Elementary School.
Board members, who had requested the meeting with Lindsay, Pope, Brayfield, Clifford & Associates at a retreat last month, asked questions during the session, but community members who attended were not permitted to enter the discussion. The Board intends to hold a meeting later this month to allow further community input into the process.
Representatives from the firm walked through the timeline for the new school - from the passage of the E-SPLOST V last fall that allowed for construction of the new Enota to the current status of the project.
The design plans for a new Enota are about 50% complete, according to engineers.
At present, there are three proposals for the new school, all with varying price tags. At the center of the cost issue is the Smartville Educational Garden on the property. Two of the proposals would leave most of the garden in place, although the plants and infrastructure would be impacted; the third proposal calls for the complete removal and replanting of the garden. Advocates for the garden have raised concerns on a number of occasions that they have not been allowed input on the project design.
Another issue on the Enota property is the location of the school playground, which suffers from flooding during rainstorms. Engineers want to raise the height of the playground so that it is more level with the school building.
Parking, along with student drop-off and pick-up, is another challenge design engineers are working to overcome.
Engineers also emphasized to the board members that there are federal and state regulations that are now in play with new construction that were not necessary 60 years ago when Enota was first built. A storm water detention pond must be built on the back side of the property; the playground must meet ADA requirements so that it is accessible to students of all abilities.
Architect Becky Pope told the board members that the firm has worked on a number of school projects, saying "we try to look at the good and bad of a site" when coming up with a viable design plan.
The Board did not make a decision on any of the plans presented.
They said they would place the diagrams and details for each proposal on the school system website in the near future, which would give the community a chance to see the plans ahead of a final meeting. School Board Chair Dr. Delores Diaz suggested three possible dates for the meeting - September 12, 15 or 20; the Board will be checking the school system calendar to see which date is best.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/9/443180/board-members-hear-details-quiz-architectural-firm-about-plans-for-new-enota-school