There will be a Chamblee Charter High School Construction Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting on Monday, Feburary 12th at 5:00-5:55pm in the Auditorium.
Design options will be discussed concluding with public comments.
This is an open meeting for anyone interested to attend.
Approval of Architectural and Engineering Services
On Monday, the Board of Education will be discussing the Architectural & Engineering (A/E) Services for the design of the replacement of Cross Keys High School. Included in the RFQ for an A/E firm is this paragraph:
The anticipated scope of this project is the design of a new high school with approximately 119 instructional units. Components of the new building include but are not limited to classrooms, media center, fine arts areas, auditorium, kitchen, cafeteria, gymnasium with indoor track, special education classrooms, career technology labs, administrative offices, and building support spaces. Site amenities include but are not limited to a practice field with artificial turf and track, baseball field, softball field, and tennis courts. Accompanying parking areas may require a parking deck to accommodate needs. Areas for future growth, including an additional practice gym, should be included in the plan. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the scope of work. The selected Architect/Engineer shall confirm and obtain DCSD approval of full scope of work prior to the start of design.
- Parking areas may require a parking deck
- Future growth includes an additional gym
MY CONCERNS
• I don’t think a parking deck was part of the original estimated cost. The price tag on this project seems to keep going up.
• Why aren’t we putting in the auxiliary gym now? Why are we building a school that can’t adequately accommodate its student population?
• What are we doing about auxiliary gyms at the high schools getting building additions?
• Chamblee Charter HS doesn’t even have a track. While they are next to North DeKalb stadium, CCHS can only use it when the school district isn’t using it. Since it’s the only stadium in North DeKalb, its in use during the week … especially in the Spring.
Update – DeKalb Schools Targeted Space Requirements.
In December Joshua Williams said the targeted space requirements for new high school builds were for a capacity of 1600 students. He said the district is putting together new targeted space requirements for larger new high schools. What is the status of those new targeted space requirements?
Joshua Williams
DeKalb Schools Chief Operating Officer
Joshua Williams: The Operations Division, in conjunction with the Curriculum and Instruction Division, are in the process of revising the Educational Specifications for Middle schools and High schools. The standards revision process includes benchmarking our current standards against peer school systems in the Atlanta region and Georgia Department of Education requirements and assessing the District’s existing middle and high school space sizes (including programming requirements).
As a final deliverable, the District is revising to 1,200-seat and 1,800-seat middle school education specifications, as well as 1,800-seat and 2,500-seat high school education specifications. These education specifications will address core size standards (i.e., physical education, kitchen, cafeteria, and media center), the program or distribution of classroom types (i.e., general classrooms, special education spaces, career tech labs, etc.), parking requirements, etc. for a new middle school or high school. While these standards are for new middle or high schools (e.g., new Cross Keys High School), the District will also use these educational specifications to provide general guidance or “targets” for the additions associated with the existing middle and high schools under our voter-approved E-SPLOST V program.
We expect to have the education specifications revised by the end of March 2018.
Question: How will the high school building additions, like the one at Chamblee Charter HS, accommodate the expanding special needs student population?
Joshua Williams: As per our design management protocols, special populations (e.g., special needs, ESOL, etc.) and other specialized requirements for a high school, like Chamblee Charter HS, will be assessed by the Architect of Record contracted to complete the design of the addition for that school. Additionally, these specialized requirements will be reviewed during various user group meetings consisting of representatives from the Operations Division, Curriculum and Instruction Division, local school staff, and other project stakeholders as appropriate.
Question: What targeted space requirements/guidelines are you using for the new Cross Keys HS build?
Joshua Williams: The targeted space requirements/guidelines for the new Cross Keys HS facility will utilize the forthcoming Educational Specifications for High Schools, slated to be completed in March 2018.
Question: What targeted space requirements/guidelines are you using for the Chamblee Charter HS building additions?
Joshua Williams: Response: The District will use the forthcoming Educational Specifications for High Schools to provide general guidance or “targets” for the Chamblee Charter HS building addition. Based on feedback and input from the local school administration and construction advisory committee (CAC), the project team will work collaboratively with the Architect of Record to incorporate these “targets” into the design process as best we can, given any unique project constraints.
Question: What is the maximum enrollment at Chamblee Charter HS that their current gym is designed to accommodate?
Joshua Williams: Per Georgia DOE space requirements, the minimum size for physical education spaces (i.e., gymnasium and their related spaces) for high schools is 22,000 square feet, regardless of the school’s enrollment. The total existing physical education spaces, not including the natatorium and its related spaces, at Chamblee Charter HS is approximately 36,500 square feet. The forthcoming Educational Specifications for High Schools will provide our Architect of Record with “targeted” guidance for any modifications to the existing physical education spaces, including but not limited to the current gymnasium, at Chamblee Charter HS.
RELATED ARTICLES
Adequate Space Requirements
For Mega High Schools
February 2, 2018 – DeKalb Schools is adding seats in North DeKalb and is entering the era of Mega Schools. The new Brookhaven Cross Keys high school will have a capacity of 2,500 students. Surely a school with more students will need more common spaces
Lakeside HS Council
Not A Fan of the Building Additions
January 24, 2018 – To balance out the racial diversity and socio-economics of the student populations attending Lakeside HS as well as evenly distribute the students from the lengthy Buford Hwy Corridor, the E-SPLOST V Project List includes a 750-seat, 38-classroom, two-story addition to Lakeside High School (LHS).
DeKalb Commissioners Not A Fan of the
E-SPLOST High School Building Additions
February 15, 2017 – DeKalb County Commissioners are unanimously asking the DeKalb County School District to build a new high school in Doraville and not add a bunch of classrooms to Lakeside, Dunwoody, and Chamblee Charter High Schools.
750 More Seats at Lakeside HS? Why?
January 30, 2017 – Lakeside High School is currently cramming 2,184 students into a building with a capacity of 1,756 students. Only one other school in North DeKalb scored a below average 2016 School Climate Star Rating. How will adding 750 seats to Lakeside High School improve their School Climate Star Rating and academic achievement?
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Is 600 More Seats At Chamblee Charter HS A Good Idea?
January 17, 2017 – Please help me understand why adding 600 seats to Chamblee Charter High School is good for anybody in that community? I suspect that any support is driven by redistricting.
Pros and Cons of adding 600 seats to Dunwoody HS
January 7, 2017 – Moving forward, I’m trying to understand the support for the building addition at Dunwoody High School. The speculation that some Dunwoody residents would be redistricted out of DHS seems to be the only reason for any continued support of the building additions.
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”