District gets first look at preliminary design

The Blooming Prairie School District has taken the first step into its $34 million renovation project – but it’s a big one.
The concept phase of the project was revealed last week, using the work done by the district’s Core Planning Group to determine criteria for the building layout, quality and functionality to create 2D floor plans and a preliminary architectural design.
Though preliminary, the presentation was thorough – and met with high praise from members of the BP School Board.
The core planning group had 23 members, including parents, community members, staff, students and other local stakeholders. It met five times and toured four different facilities with “comparable features for items that were part of the referendum here,” said Vaugh Dierks, a Wold Architects and Engineers partner.
He outlined the criteria and guiding principles used for the schematic stage, “the rules that we design your facility by,” he said.
The criteria, Dierks said, “is pass-fail. Either it’s there or it isn’t, and they’re a little more critical to understanding the floor plan.”
The planning group spent a lot of time talking about the classroom addition for fifth- and sixth-graders, as well as the space adjacent to it.
It was apparent safety remained at the forefront while moving those students out of the elementary school building and into the secondary building: The classrooms are grouped in one area on the far northwest end of the current school, with 2/3 transparent walls between the classrooms and the flex resources areas for those grades.
In addition, the students’ lockers or other permanent storage will be in the classroom; the grades will have their own designated toilet facility near their classrooms; the outdoor play space will be close to their area; and general music will be centrally located near those grade levels.
The renovation and construction throughout the rest of the school must also meet several criteria, including a separate entrance for the new auditorium, with a connection to the main entry and commons area – and keeping the new gym as close to the main entrance as possible.
The auditorium is planned for the south end of the building; the new gym is on the west side.
All books in the media center should be securable; the books for fifth- and sixth-graders should be in a zone away from the other books.
Behind the scenes, the core planning group requested a team room for visiting teams to use before, during and after events; a separate pathway to the auditorium for students/performers; a custodial area near the kitchen; and main receiving should be relocated away from the main entrance – behind the auditorium’s backstage area and near the career and technical education spaces.
The new art rooms and newly renovated CTE program space will be located between the current gym and commons area and the new auditorium.
While it all seems logical, Dierks said more goes into choosing – and meeting – the criteria than meets the eye.
“It’s not just us rubber-stamping and saying, ‘whatever you want,’” he said. “There’s a little bit of push-back, some devil’s advocate to make sure that we’re testing different layouts … so that we’re designing into the future as opposed to what we’ve always done in the past.”
Dierks said that despite outlining what appear to be specifics, the job of the core planning group was about painting the big picture, not the details.
One group, in particular, stood out.
“I cannot say enough good things about the students that you had on that process,” he said. “They really threw out some good ideas for some of the adults to think about; students often provide some of the most innovative ideas in this process.”
The next step, the user-group stage, has begun: detailed input about the design.
“One of the best comments I’ve heard is from our art teacher,” said Superintendent Chris Staloch. “He said he couldn’t believe how much input he got to have in his area of the building.”
Dierks said the bidding process is expected by August or September, with construction beginning before the frost sets in.
The classrooms should be ready for occupancy by the fall of 2023; the performing arts center and new gym are expected to be completed and ready for use by the winter of 2023.
The entire project, Dierks said, “is tracking on square feet, which means we’re tracking on budget, as well.”
 
Guiding Principles:
 
Balance between separation and integration of grade levels.
Building should foster a sense of community.
Shared common spaces should be appropriate for all grades to learn and succeed in.
Building addition and renovation should prioritize opportunities for natural daylight.
School should feel cohesive in design.
Building should meet the needs of today while providing for future flexibility and potential expansion.
New auditorium and gym addition should have a “wow” factor.
Building should function for programs both before and after school.
Design should provide a variety of learning spaces to promote flexibility and adaptability.
Layout of the building should be easy to supervise, intuitive to navigate.
Spaces used outside of school hours should be located for easy access and security.