MLPS School Board, Building Committee, architect hold joint meeting
“Baby steps” were taken on Thursday, February 18 when the Mountain Lake Public School (MLPS) School Board and Building Committee met with Paul Youngquist, architect of Architects Rego + Youngquist, Inc. (ARY) of St. Louis Park to discuss improvements needed campus-wide at MLPS.
The full slate of board members were on hand – Chair Doug Standerwick, Vice-Chair Tim Swoboda, Clerk Julie Brugman, Treasurer Pam Hoek and Directors Tom Fast, Matt Gohr and Chad Pedersen. Members of the Building Committee at the meeting included Cheri Hanson, Jerry Haberman, Bruce Swanson, Bryan Bargen, Vern Peterson, Tom Appel and John Carrison. Also in attendance was MLPS Superintendent Bill Strom.
ARY is a planning and design firm that specializes in community facilities in the State of Minnesota. A complete range of architectural and engineering services has been provided to public organizations since 1956 including master planning, new facilities, remodeling and accessibility studies. The educational facilities market constitutes the largest specialty group within the firm. That experience in serving school districts and communities for 40 years has allowed ARY to see the changing faces of education. ARY is proud of its team’s experience, creativity, practical approach to design and attentive follow-through in every step of your project.
Youngquist is ARY’s Principal-in-Charge with 30 years of experience in the design and construction of educational and institutional facilities. As a school architect, he has worked with school communities at all levels of facility improvement – from planning and analysis to new facilities, additions and renovation work. His duties include project management, planning, design, cost estimating, survey and facility reports, specification writing and site observations. He is involved in the data gathering and design phases, and will supervise the production of construction documents and construction administration. Youngquist graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 1974 with a Bachelor of Architecture.
The firm was selected last year by the school board and Building Committee from the four that submitted interest.
Youngquist told asked the members of the two groups, “What is the realistic thing to do? What is the extent of all upgrades and repairs to do?” He added that, when he had completed his presentation, there would be thoughts on the table – a base plan – on what to do. “You could add onto that plan – or do projects over the next 10 years.” (The $1.9 million bond levy, approved by the school board this past December 2015, is focused on long-term facilities maintenance revenue over the next 10 years, allowing for projects to be spread out over that time.)
“In general, the elementary school is not a problem. You could upgrade classroom unit ventilators, and put in controls, and air quality would be good.”
In addressing the 1940 building, Youngquist noted that it is usable for “a very, very long time. Again, replacing unit ventilators would be needed. He also shared that the old gym had “lots of character,” with an outside that is fine, but that has mechanical and electrical needs as well.
The 1890 building has more obstacles, Youngquist denoted. Only a couple of rooms have unit ventilators, there are great mechanical and electrical needs and the floors are in rough shape. “I love old buildings, ” Youngquist stated, “but . . . What if that disappears? If all levels were removed?”
When Youngquist and members of ARY walked through the high school, they realized a clear division of “activities” and “academics.” “The first floor has mostly activity-type stuff,” the architect declared. “Academics could be centralized on the upper floors.”
With the 1890 building removed, Youngquist fashioned a possible plan of creating new boys and girls locker rooms, a weight room, athletic storage and theater storage on that first level. As well, a new area for the boilers could be built on into the back parking lot.
On a second level, the band and choir rooms could be located, surrounded by a corridor including the study spaces Youngquist had opened with. These corridors would tie into the classrooms on the upper floor academic level from rooms in the 1940 building to those in the 1930 building (above the old gym), or down leading to the cafeteria and elementary classrooms.
Youngquist sees the old gym in the 1930 building as, “a neat-size assembly room. I would not divide it up.” He did note, however, that it has mechanical issues with which to deal.
A second new construction possibility brought forward by Youngquist was an early childhood center in the space south of the elementary school. “This would be an ‘entry’ into the school for those ages 0-5, and would include all preschool education classrooms tying into the kindergarten rooms, which would free up other classroom space for upper-level elementary classes.”
He also addressed the auditorium seating. “Maybe it is included in this project; maybe four years from now,” Youngquist commented. “New auditorium seating would cost approximately $280 per seat, and would cut seating space 10%.
The base plan Youngquist presented include base mechanical updates, base electrical improvements, fire suppression and protection and additions, the grades 7-12 construction in the former 1890 building space and the pre-K-6 early childhood area construction.
Cost amounts for these improvements, demolition and new construction totaled $15 million – $6 million for mechanical and electrical updates campus-wide, $1 million for fire protection, $6 million for the 7-12 construction and $2 million for pre-K-6 construction.
Also addressed was the 40+-year-old indoor swimming pool, which, according to Youngquist would cost $2 million to improve. “It needs a whole different type of construction, a veneer outside, a vapor barrier, dehumidification, insulation and new mechanical and filter systems. The has the highest operation costs of anything else in the school. The walls sweat; the building is deteriorating. It is as if – in your own home – you had all the windows wide open, and the furnace going all the time.” He added that, “For $1 million, you could fill in the pool to make a ‘usable box’ for students.”
Now armed with a base plan and information before them, members of both groups began the discussion on taking those “baby steps” forward.