| Gymnasium | |
|
Image
|
| Weight/Wrestling Rooms | |
|
Image
|
| FEMA Safe Room | |
|
|
| Music Rooms | |
|
Image
|
| Kitchen | |
|
Image
|
| Auditorium | |
|
|
| Sr. High School Wing | |
|
 |
| Industrial Education Wing | |
|
Image
|
| Science, Art, Special Education, ETC | |
|
Image
|
| Jr. High Wing & Office Area | |
|
|
| Main Street | |
|
Image
|
| Exterior | |
|
Image
|
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
July 2013 Construction Updates
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
June 2013 Construction Updates
| Gymnasium | |
|
 |
| Weight/Wrestling Rooms | |
|
 |
| FEMA Safe Room | |
|
|
| Music Rooms | |
|
 |
| Kitchen | |
|
 |
| Auditorium | |
|
 |
| Sr. High School Wing | |
|
|
| Industrial Education Wing | |
|
 |
| Science, Art, Special Education, ETC | |
|
 |
| Jr. High Wing & Office Area | |
|
|
| Main Street | |
|
 |
| Exterior | |
|
 |
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Current Progress of New School
| Gymnasium | ||||||||
Wood floor is near complete
|
|
|||||||
| Weight/Wrestling Rooms | ||||||||
| Painting has commenced and trim out is taking place. |
|
|||||||
| Locker Rooms/FEMA Safe Room | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||
| Music Rooms | ||||||||
| Mechanical/electrical Trim out is near complete. |
|
|||||||
| Kitchen | ||||||||
| Equipment installation is in progress. |
|
|||||||
| Auditorium | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||
| High School Wing | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||
| Industrial Education Wing | ||||||||
|
||||||||
| Science, Art, Special Education, ETC | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||
| Middle School Wing & Office Area | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||
| Main Street | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||
| Exterior | ||||||||
|
|
Friday, March 16, 2012
Project Updates from January 23 to March 16th
The following information is made available courtesy of the Independence Community School District and prepared by Superintendent Jean Peterson and Board Members Brian Eddy and Eric Smith.
Site Plan Development:
Since the last project update, HSR Associates and the District Reps have had several meetings to discuss and finalize site plan details. One significant development during this time has been the decision to place a retention pond in the Southwest corner of the site to manage water runoff. The below site plan shows the location of the retention pond, which will generally hold anywhere from 6-10 feet of water. There will be a shallow perimeter all around the pond which prevents an immediate drop off. A small pipe will exit the pond and into the creek that runs along the South side of the District's 92 acres. The small pipe will regulate and slow down the water downstream. Point of Beginnings, the Civil Engineer who designed the site plan, noted that water flow downstream will be equal or less than existing water flow. In addition, the discharged water will also be cleaner since the retention pond will essentially serve as a filter, allowing sediments to settle from the water before being released from the pond.
Floor Plan:
The floor plan has not changed since the last update. HSR Associates has spent the past seven weeks laying out the electrical, plumbing and detailed bid documents for the entire facility. To support the District’s one-to-one computer initiative scheduled to commence when the new facility opens, HSR has included enough electrical outlets along the classroom walls to keep students' computers charged during class.
Exterior Design:
The exterior design has not changed since the update. However, we have received color renderings of the exterior.
The District increased the size of the parking lot in front of the building since the last update. Another double row of parking has been added to the West side of the parking lot to the base bid package. The parking lot will now hold just over 400 vehicles. The District made this change because it will be less expensive to add more parking at this time and to better accommodate parking for large events held in the gym or auditorium.
The District has also modified the front entrance area to the facility. The grass island in front of the main entrance has been removed to minimize maintenance. Benches, flag poles and other structures will be incorporated out in front of the main entrance area. The updated front entrance is below:
Interior Design:
HSR Associates and the District have made substantial progress the past seven weeks on the interior design of the facility. Materials and color patterns have also been pretty well finalized. Terrazzo floors will be used in the entire "main street" area, cafeteria, and student locker areas. Terrazzo is very durable and is relatively easy to maintain. The corridors throughout the facility will be bid using rubber flooring, which is less expensive than terrazzo flooring. However, because of the previously mentioned advantages of terrazzo flooring, the bid package will include an alternate to use terrazzo in all the corridors. If the budget permits, terrazzo will then be used instead of rubber flooring in the corridors. The general classrooms, library and administration offices will have tiled carpet. The industrial tech labs will have sealed concrete floors, just as the floors in the current junior/senior high school. The science, art, and FCS rooms will have rubber floors.
Energy Efficiency and Renewal Energy:
WPPI, the supplier of power to Independence Light & Power, has provided the District with an energy consultant at no charge to make recommendations on how to improve the design of the facility for energy efficiency. 12 recommendations have been made and most are being incorporated into the design. WPPI is offering financial incentives to make the recommended improvements. An example is increasing the R value of the insulation in various areas of the facility. A couple of members of the University of Northern Iowa's Center for Energy & Environmental Education are also reviewing the design and the WPPI consultant's recommendations for additional energy efficiency recommendations.
The Build for the Future Energy Committee is making progress on their analysis of a potential geothermal system. The District has made the decision to bid the facility with a hybrid HVAC system, which would mean geothermal, could be added in the future at any time. After the bids are received on the project, the District will know how much funding remains for inclusion of the geothermal system. In addition, the District will then be able to have geothermal test wells put in to determine the conductivity of the soil. This work will provide the District with the information they need to complete the geothermal payback analysis. The District is also exploring low interest financing options through the Iowa Energy Bank, which could assist in fronting the cost of installing a geothermal system. If the District concludes that geothermal is a good investment, a geothermal system will be designed and put out for bid approximately 6 weeks after the general contract is selected for the project. To ensure flexibility with moving forward with a geothermal system, the general bid documents will note that the hybrid HVAC system may be removed and replaced with a geothermal system during the first two months after the general contractor is selected.
The District and Energy Committee is also exploring the feasibility of installing a wind turbine and/or photovotaic solar panels for the project. The Iowa Energy Bank also provides low cost financing options for this type of renewal energy, provided the payback is sufficient to repay the low interest loans to install such systems. One of the goals of the District is to make sure all energy efficiency options and renewal energy sources are considered to reduce our utility expenses and carbon emissions.
FEMA Grant for Safe Room:
The District received great news approximately two weeks ago. FEMA has approved Phase 1 of the District’s application for the Safe Room grant. We are now entering Phase 2 of the application process. The District and HSR Associates are now working on the final checklist and process for obtaining final approval of the design by FEMA. Upon approval of Phase 2, the District would receive approximately $800,000 in funds from FEMA for the Safe Room in the new facility.
Timeline:
On Tuesday and Wednesday March 13th and 14th, Point of Beginnings had a survey crew on site to mark out various key locations, such as the corners of the building, the parking lot, the retention pond and the silt fence line. A silt fence was installed around the construction area on Wednesday (March 14th) or Thursday (March 15th).
The in-kind donors started working on the entrance roads on Thursday & Friday March 15th and 16th below are a couple of images of the entrances being installed.
The in-kind volunteers will start work on the retention pond the week of March 19th, putting in de-watering trenches to dry out the site, and form the sub-grade work for the roads and parking lot.
HSR Associates will be presenting the bid documents to the School Board at the March 19th board meeting for final approval. Upon approval, HSR Associates will print documents for distribution. Bid letting is scheduled to commence March 26th. A meeting is tentatively scheduled for 4 PM on April 11th at West Elementary Commons for all potential bidders to ask questions about the bid documents. Bids are tentatively scheduled to be opened at 4 PM on April 26th at West Elementary Commons. After the general contractor is selected and the contract is signed, earthwork where the facility will be located and construction of the facility will commence shortly thereafter. We look forward to a public groundbreaking ceremony in the first part of May. The official date, time and details of the groundbreaking ceremony will be set in the near future.
Site Plan Development:
Since the last project update, HSR Associates and the District Reps have had several meetings to discuss and finalize site plan details. One significant development during this time has been the decision to place a retention pond in the Southwest corner of the site to manage water runoff. The below site plan shows the location of the retention pond, which will generally hold anywhere from 6-10 feet of water. There will be a shallow perimeter all around the pond which prevents an immediate drop off. A small pipe will exit the pond and into the creek that runs along the South side of the District's 92 acres. The small pipe will regulate and slow down the water downstream. Point of Beginnings, the Civil Engineer who designed the site plan, noted that water flow downstream will be equal or less than existing water flow. In addition, the discharged water will also be cleaner since the retention pond will essentially serve as a filter, allowing sediments to settle from the water before being released from the pond.
Floor Plan:
The floor plan has not changed since the last update. HSR Associates has spent the past seven weeks laying out the electrical, plumbing and detailed bid documents for the entire facility. To support the District’s one-to-one computer initiative scheduled to commence when the new facility opens, HSR has included enough electrical outlets along the classroom walls to keep students' computers charged during class.
Exterior Design:
The exterior design has not changed since the update. However, we have received color renderings of the exterior.
The District increased the size of the parking lot in front of the building since the last update. Another double row of parking has been added to the West side of the parking lot to the base bid package. The parking lot will now hold just over 400 vehicles. The District made this change because it will be less expensive to add more parking at this time and to better accommodate parking for large events held in the gym or auditorium.
The District has also modified the front entrance area to the facility. The grass island in front of the main entrance has been removed to minimize maintenance. Benches, flag poles and other structures will be incorporated out in front of the main entrance area. The updated front entrance is below:
Interior Design:
 |
| Gym |
 |
| Auditorium |
 |
| Wrestling Room |
Energy Efficiency and Renewal Energy:
WPPI, the supplier of power to Independence Light & Power, has provided the District with an energy consultant at no charge to make recommendations on how to improve the design of the facility for energy efficiency. 12 recommendations have been made and most are being incorporated into the design. WPPI is offering financial incentives to make the recommended improvements. An example is increasing the R value of the insulation in various areas of the facility. A couple of members of the University of Northern Iowa's Center for Energy & Environmental Education are also reviewing the design and the WPPI consultant's recommendations for additional energy efficiency recommendations.
The Build for the Future Energy Committee is making progress on their analysis of a potential geothermal system. The District has made the decision to bid the facility with a hybrid HVAC system, which would mean geothermal, could be added in the future at any time. After the bids are received on the project, the District will know how much funding remains for inclusion of the geothermal system. In addition, the District will then be able to have geothermal test wells put in to determine the conductivity of the soil. This work will provide the District with the information they need to complete the geothermal payback analysis. The District is also exploring low interest financing options through the Iowa Energy Bank, which could assist in fronting the cost of installing a geothermal system. If the District concludes that geothermal is a good investment, a geothermal system will be designed and put out for bid approximately 6 weeks after the general contract is selected for the project. To ensure flexibility with moving forward with a geothermal system, the general bid documents will note that the hybrid HVAC system may be removed and replaced with a geothermal system during the first two months after the general contractor is selected.
The District and Energy Committee is also exploring the feasibility of installing a wind turbine and/or photovotaic solar panels for the project. The Iowa Energy Bank also provides low cost financing options for this type of renewal energy, provided the payback is sufficient to repay the low interest loans to install such systems. One of the goals of the District is to make sure all energy efficiency options and renewal energy sources are considered to reduce our utility expenses and carbon emissions.
FEMA Grant for Safe Room:
The District received great news approximately two weeks ago. FEMA has approved Phase 1 of the District’s application for the Safe Room grant. We are now entering Phase 2 of the application process. The District and HSR Associates are now working on the final checklist and process for obtaining final approval of the design by FEMA. Upon approval of Phase 2, the District would receive approximately $800,000 in funds from FEMA for the Safe Room in the new facility.
Timeline:
On Tuesday and Wednesday March 13th and 14th, Point of Beginnings had a survey crew on site to mark out various key locations, such as the corners of the building, the parking lot, the retention pond and the silt fence line. A silt fence was installed around the construction area on Wednesday (March 14th) or Thursday (March 15th).
The in-kind donors started working on the entrance roads on Thursday & Friday March 15th and 16th below are a couple of images of the entrances being installed.
 |
| In-Kind Donors Installing Silt Fence |
HSR Associates will be presenting the bid documents to the School Board at the March 19th board meeting for final approval. Upon approval, HSR Associates will print documents for distribution. Bid letting is scheduled to commence March 26th. A meeting is tentatively scheduled for 4 PM on April 11th at West Elementary Commons for all potential bidders to ask questions about the bid documents. Bids are tentatively scheduled to be opened at 4 PM on April 26th at West Elementary Commons. After the general contractor is selected and the contract is signed, earthwork where the facility will be located and construction of the facility will commence shortly thereafter. We look forward to a public groundbreaking ceremony in the first part of May. The official date, time and details of the groundbreaking ceremony will be set in the near future.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Project Updates from December 1, 2011 - January 24, 2012
The following information is made available courtesy of the Independence Community School District and prepared by Superintendent Jean Peterson and Board Members Brian Eddy and Eric Smith.
Site Plan Development
On December 20, 2011, HSR Associates attended the School Board meeting to present the proposed location of the new facility on the 92 acres. The Board gave HSR direction to proceed with finalizing the draft site plan with the facility facing West, approximately 600 feet from Iowa Ave. One improvement that has been made is shifting the location of the south parking lot entrance to the center of the parking lot. The benefits of this change were that it: 1) creates a main entrance into the school with a focal point on the front entrance of the building; 2) moves the southern entrance to the new school farther away from the main entrance into MHI; and 3) reduces the length of the third lane (blow by lane) on Iowa Ave. On January 24, 2012, HSR and District Reps met with Terracon and the Civil Engineer to discuss the conditions of the soil. Discussion was held regarding the possibility of starting some preliminary earth work in early March 2012 to drain water from the site, preparing the site and soils to be a construction site and a long-term building site for the new school building. Terracon informed us that their final report with their recommendations on proper soil and site preparation will be finalized by the end of this week. This will then allow the Civil Engineer to finalize the Site Plan for Board approval within approximately three weeks. HSR will then submit the Storm Water Installation Permit for approval to the DNR, which will allow us to proceed with preparing the site for construction and bidding.
The Board also discussed the access road across the 92 acres during their early January 2012 work session. The Board decided to have the access road end behind the new school instead of continuing the road all the way across the 92 acres. A couple of the advantages to this decision were: 1) improves safety by eliminating a service / access road connecting to the parking lot at West Elementary, and 2) preserves more farm land which can be used to generate revenue for the District. The Board did agree to incorporate a biking / walking trail from the new facility to the West Elementary building. The trail will hook into the Liberty Trail, run in front of the new JR / SR high school, then wrap around the North property line of the 92 acres, East to the West Elementary building and football field.
Floor Plan
HSR, the District representatives and staff continue to develop and finalize the facility and interior room layouts. HSR is now working with the District to determine the detailed specifications for bidding. Substantial progress was made on January 24, 2012 when HSR met with the District reps to determine which aspects of the project would be included in the general bid package vs. bid separately for potential cost savings.
Exterior Design
Substantial progress has also been made with the exterior design of the facility. One improvement that has been developed is the incorporation of an arched, translucent skylight system over the "main street" area. The “main street” area is the common area that runs down the center of the building. The skylight system will bring more natural lighting into the building. A dark maroon / burgundy brick will be utilized on the exterior. Tan brick colors will be used to accent the maroon / burgundy color. The most current renderings of the exterior design are shown below.
Interior Design
On January 11, 2012, Superintendent Peterson and Board members Eddy and Smith traveled to LaCrosse to meet with HSR to discuss interior design ideas and considerations. We met with two interior design specialists at HSR who provided their initial thoughts on how to incorporate the school colors into the facility, the type of flooring to be used, and the exterior appearance. A key consideration for interior selection is cost of installation versus cost of maintenance. We want to avoid extra maintenance costs and time when we could select a low-maintenance option now. Some images of the preliminary interior design of the "main street" area inside the common area of the building are shown below:
Energy Efficiency Considerations
HSR has made several improvements to the design of the facility to maximize energy efficiency. In addition, the geo-technical report from A-One Geothermal is expected to be finalized this week. HSR is working with the Wisconsin Energy Center who is analyzing the design of the facility for energy efficiency improvements. Their recommendations are expected in the new few weeks. HSR and the Board is also working on their evaluation of whether to include an alternative bid to make the facility 100% geo-thermal. The primary factors the Board will be considering when making a decision on the geo-thermal system are: 1) the anticipated payback on investment based on the Build for the Future Energy Committee's analysis; and 2) whether the geo-thermal system can be afforded within the project budget, even if the payback on geo-thermal is reasonable. On January 24, 2012, we discussed the potential of an open-loop ground water sourced geo-thermal system that has been installed in several schools in our region in the past few years. The open loop system could provide the same capabilities of a closed loop system at substantially reduced installation cost. HSR will explore the open-loop ground water sourced geo-thermal system over the next few weeks.
Fundraising
The Build for the Future Fundraising Committee has made incredible progress with the $6,000,000 "Bridging the Gap" fundraising campaign. At Saturday night's Mustang Foundation banquet, Rob Robinson (Chairman of the Fundraising Committee) reported that they have raised approximately $4.75 M to date! Any savings from in-kind donations or funds from FEMA for the SAFE ROOM are not included in this figure. For more on how to make your pledge to this project, please visit the Mustang Foundation website or contact Rob Robinson today at Rob.Robinson@bankiowa or 319-334-7181.
FEMA Grant for SAFE Room
The District, with the assistance of HSR Associates and INRCOG, submitted the SAFE ROOM grant application in December. The grant has cleared the State of Iowa's review process, and is now under final review by FEMA. Our INRCOG representative estimated that FEMA could make a decision in about 60 days. The final grant application requested approximately $800,000. The final determination was to make the four locker rooms the SAFE ROOM. It provides the best opportunity for cost savings and eliminated some additional issues related to having the auditorium be the SAFE ROOM.
Preliminary In-Kind Projects
During December 2011, a couple of volunteers removed some trees and the old fence line along the West property line. Special thanks to John Behan for his labor, and Lisa Duffy (the current farm tenant) for granting the District permission to start preliminary work on this project prior to March 1, 2012.
Timeline
During the bond campaign, the estimated bid letting date was February 2012, with bids to be opened in March, and ground breaking in April 2012. During the recent trip to HSR, HSR indicated the end of March 2012 for sending out bid documents, with bids opened in the middle of April 2012 and ground breaking in early May 2012. The District representatives have requested that the original timeline be followed if possible to strive for completion of the project by August 2013 as originally planned. As a result, substantial progress has been made the past few weeks. Several HSR representatives spent the day in Independence on Tuesday, January 24th to meet with District representatives and staff to continue to make various decisions on the design of the facility and site plan development.
Long Term Site Plan
The Board held a work session on January 5, 2012 to review the long-term facility plan for the 92 acres. Discussion was held on future needs, such as a new bus barn, tennis courts, soccer fields and baseball / softball fields. The school district and board remain focused on the new building and the site development required to support the new Junior/Senior high school building. Funds from the 2011 General Obligation Bond will be spent only on the new JR / SR High School, and not on these future needs. The Board will have another work session in the future to discuss the SILO funding availability for future development of the 92 acres.
If you have any questions or feedback on this project, contact Jean Peterson, Brian Eddy or Eric Smith.
Site Plan Development
On December 20, 2011, HSR Associates attended the School Board meeting to present the proposed location of the new facility on the 92 acres. The Board gave HSR direction to proceed with finalizing the draft site plan with the facility facing West, approximately 600 feet from Iowa Ave. One improvement that has been made is shifting the location of the south parking lot entrance to the center of the parking lot. The benefits of this change were that it: 1) creates a main entrance into the school with a focal point on the front entrance of the building; 2) moves the southern entrance to the new school farther away from the main entrance into MHI; and 3) reduces the length of the third lane (blow by lane) on Iowa Ave. On January 24, 2012, HSR and District Reps met with Terracon and the Civil Engineer to discuss the conditions of the soil. Discussion was held regarding the possibility of starting some preliminary earth work in early March 2012 to drain water from the site, preparing the site and soils to be a construction site and a long-term building site for the new school building. Terracon informed us that their final report with their recommendations on proper soil and site preparation will be finalized by the end of this week. This will then allow the Civil Engineer to finalize the Site Plan for Board approval within approximately three weeks. HSR will then submit the Storm Water Installation Permit for approval to the DNR, which will allow us to proceed with preparing the site for construction and bidding.
The Board also discussed the access road across the 92 acres during their early January 2012 work session. The Board decided to have the access road end behind the new school instead of continuing the road all the way across the 92 acres. A couple of the advantages to this decision were: 1) improves safety by eliminating a service / access road connecting to the parking lot at West Elementary, and 2) preserves more farm land which can be used to generate revenue for the District. The Board did agree to incorporate a biking / walking trail from the new facility to the West Elementary building. The trail will hook into the Liberty Trail, run in front of the new JR / SR high school, then wrap around the North property line of the 92 acres, East to the West Elementary building and football field.
 |
| A copy of the most current site plan showing what the 92 acres will look like in the fall of 2013 is shown here. |
Floor Plan
HSR, the District representatives and staff continue to develop and finalize the facility and interior room layouts. HSR is now working with the District to determine the detailed specifications for bidding. Substantial progress was made on January 24, 2012 when HSR met with the District reps to determine which aspects of the project would be included in the general bid package vs. bid separately for potential cost savings.
Exterior Design
Substantial progress has also been made with the exterior design of the facility. One improvement that has been developed is the incorporation of an arched, translucent skylight system over the "main street" area. The “main street” area is the common area that runs down the center of the building. The skylight system will bring more natural lighting into the building. A dark maroon / burgundy brick will be utilized on the exterior. Tan brick colors will be used to accent the maroon / burgundy color. The most current renderings of the exterior design are shown below.
Interior Design
On January 11, 2012, Superintendent Peterson and Board members Eddy and Smith traveled to LaCrosse to meet with HSR to discuss interior design ideas and considerations. We met with two interior design specialists at HSR who provided their initial thoughts on how to incorporate the school colors into the facility, the type of flooring to be used, and the exterior appearance. A key consideration for interior selection is cost of installation versus cost of maintenance. We want to avoid extra maintenance costs and time when we could select a low-maintenance option now. Some images of the preliminary interior design of the "main street" area inside the common area of the building are shown below:
Energy Efficiency Considerations
HSR has made several improvements to the design of the facility to maximize energy efficiency. In addition, the geo-technical report from A-One Geothermal is expected to be finalized this week. HSR is working with the Wisconsin Energy Center who is analyzing the design of the facility for energy efficiency improvements. Their recommendations are expected in the new few weeks. HSR and the Board is also working on their evaluation of whether to include an alternative bid to make the facility 100% geo-thermal. The primary factors the Board will be considering when making a decision on the geo-thermal system are: 1) the anticipated payback on investment based on the Build for the Future Energy Committee's analysis; and 2) whether the geo-thermal system can be afforded within the project budget, even if the payback on geo-thermal is reasonable. On January 24, 2012, we discussed the potential of an open-loop ground water sourced geo-thermal system that has been installed in several schools in our region in the past few years. The open loop system could provide the same capabilities of a closed loop system at substantially reduced installation cost. HSR will explore the open-loop ground water sourced geo-thermal system over the next few weeks.
Fundraising
The Build for the Future Fundraising Committee has made incredible progress with the $6,000,000 "Bridging the Gap" fundraising campaign. At Saturday night's Mustang Foundation banquet, Rob Robinson (Chairman of the Fundraising Committee) reported that they have raised approximately $4.75 M to date! Any savings from in-kind donations or funds from FEMA for the SAFE ROOM are not included in this figure. For more on how to make your pledge to this project, please visit the Mustang Foundation website or contact Rob Robinson today at Rob.Robinson@bankiowa or 319-334-7181.
FEMA Grant for SAFE Room
The District, with the assistance of HSR Associates and INRCOG, submitted the SAFE ROOM grant application in December. The grant has cleared the State of Iowa's review process, and is now under final review by FEMA. Our INRCOG representative estimated that FEMA could make a decision in about 60 days. The final grant application requested approximately $800,000. The final determination was to make the four locker rooms the SAFE ROOM. It provides the best opportunity for cost savings and eliminated some additional issues related to having the auditorium be the SAFE ROOM.
Preliminary In-Kind Projects
During December 2011, a couple of volunteers removed some trees and the old fence line along the West property line. Special thanks to John Behan for his labor, and Lisa Duffy (the current farm tenant) for granting the District permission to start preliminary work on this project prior to March 1, 2012.
Timeline
During the bond campaign, the estimated bid letting date was February 2012, with bids to be opened in March, and ground breaking in April 2012. During the recent trip to HSR, HSR indicated the end of March 2012 for sending out bid documents, with bids opened in the middle of April 2012 and ground breaking in early May 2012. The District representatives have requested that the original timeline be followed if possible to strive for completion of the project by August 2013 as originally planned. As a result, substantial progress has been made the past few weeks. Several HSR representatives spent the day in Independence on Tuesday, January 24th to meet with District representatives and staff to continue to make various decisions on the design of the facility and site plan development.
Long Term Site Plan
The Board held a work session on January 5, 2012 to review the long-term facility plan for the 92 acres. Discussion was held on future needs, such as a new bus barn, tennis courts, soccer fields and baseball / softball fields. The school district and board remain focused on the new building and the site development required to support the new Junior/Senior high school building. Funds from the 2011 General Obligation Bond will be spent only on the new JR / SR High School, and not on these future needs. The Board will have another work session in the future to discuss the SILO funding availability for future development of the 92 acres.
If you have any questions or feedback on this project, contact Jean Peterson, Brian Eddy or Eric Smith.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
In-Kind Donors Wanted in Construction of New Jr./Sr. High School
The Mustang Foundation, Inc. and local volunteers are working hard to raise the funds needed to build the new Jr./Sr. High School and they can’t accomplish this goal without your support.
“Of course we always welcome monetary donations for the project, but we are also excited about our in-kind donors and all the work they are willing to commit to get this project completed on time and within budget”, stated Bruce Neeley, the project’s in-kind donation leader. “We are seeking in-kind donors in several areas including the use of equipment to move dirt, assistance in landscaping, concrete work and painting.”
Several volunteers have already committed to helping with the building site’s preparation this spring, but more are needed. If you are interested in donating supplies or labor, please contact Bruce Neeley (neeleybruce@yahoo.com or 319-230-0017). Monetary donations are tax-deductible through Mustang Foundation, Inc.
Fundraising efforts continue and the response to our campaign has been very positive. Donors have been generous and have really gotten behind the campaign. “As of December 31, 2011, we had nearly 300 pledges and we were approximately 75% of the way to our $6,000,000 goal.” stated Rob Robinson, Treasurer for Mustang Foundation, Inc. “Fundraising committee members continue to meet with potential donors on a regular basis and we welcome additional support.”
If you are interested in more information on making a financial pledge, contact Rob Robinson (rob.robinson@bankiowa.com or 334-7181) or visit the Mustang Foundation Inc.'s website at www.indeemustangfoundation.com.
“Of course we always welcome monetary donations for the project, but we are also excited about our in-kind donors and all the work they are willing to commit to get this project completed on time and within budget”, stated Bruce Neeley, the project’s in-kind donation leader. “We are seeking in-kind donors in several areas including the use of equipment to move dirt, assistance in landscaping, concrete work and painting.”
Several volunteers have already committed to helping with the building site’s preparation this spring, but more are needed. If you are interested in donating supplies or labor, please contact Bruce Neeley (neeleybruce@yahoo.com or 319-230-0017). Monetary donations are tax-deductible through Mustang Foundation, Inc.
Fundraising efforts continue and the response to our campaign has been very positive. Donors have been generous and have really gotten behind the campaign. “As of December 31, 2011, we had nearly 300 pledges and we were approximately 75% of the way to our $6,000,000 goal.” stated Rob Robinson, Treasurer for Mustang Foundation, Inc. “Fundraising committee members continue to meet with potential donors on a regular basis and we welcome additional support.”
If you are interested in more information on making a financial pledge, contact Rob Robinson (rob.robinson@bankiowa.com or 334-7181) or visit the Mustang Foundation Inc.'s website at www.indeemustangfoundation.com.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Project Updates Since November 9th
The following information is made available courtesy of the Independence Community School District and prepared by Superintendent Jean Peterson and Board Members Brian Eddy and Eric Smith.
 |
| Terracon Consulting Drilling for Soil Samples |
- November 11-15, 2011
Terracon completed their drilling of the soil samples on the 92 acre site. The Geo-Technical Engineering Report should be available by the middle of December 2011. Early indications show no major surprises with the condition of the soil.
- November 15, 2011
HSR solicited and received bids for the Soil Conductivity Tests. The District selected A-One GeoThermal out of Earlham, Iowa to perform this service. They were the low bid at $10,900. HSR had estimated this service to cost approximately $14,000 - 15,000, so we were very pleased to see their bid come in under budget.
- November 8 – 22, 2011
HSR Associates continues to update and tweak the floor plans based on feedback received from the District Reps, the Project Oversight Committee, staff and coaches. HSR expected to have updated floor plans available for the District Reps by Monday, November 28, 2011. After the District Reps and Project Oversight Committee give the update floor plans a final review, the plans will be shared with staff and coaches.
- November 21, 2011
Brad Simonson and Bob Freerks of HSR attended the Board of Education meeting to update the Board and public on the progress of the floor plan and the Geo-Technical work performed by Terracon. The Board also discussed the need for a meeting to plan the layout of the 92 acre site plan. A meeting has been scheduled for November 30th. Representatives from various community groups (City, County, Farm to School, Environmental, Energy, Trails Association, MHI, District Grounds & Maintenance, among others) are in the process of being invited to join Brad Simonson and the civil engineers from HSR to discuss the 92 site plan. HSR also reported that the project remains on schedule for bidding in early 2012.
- November 22, 2011
HSR Associates held their initial meeting with the acoustic engineering consultant. The goal is to ensure that key spaces, such as the auditorium and gymnasium, provide our visitors with the experience they expect.
- November 30, 2011
HSR Associates will be attending a special board meeting scheduled for November 30, 2011 at 6 PM at West Elementary Commons to share the proposed floor plans to the Board for approval. The community is encouraged to attend to see the results of the all the great feedback and suggestions from staff that we incorporated into the plans.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)