If you need more info contact:

Planning & Construction

Department 

Phone: 619-407-4955 

Contact: Lillian Leopold
(619) 691-5578 o cell (619) 279-1627
Katy Wright, Director of Planning and Construction
(619) 691-5553

PROPOSITION BB ACCELERATION ENTERS CONSTRUCTION PHASE
ACROSS THE DISTRICT

The acceleration of modernization projects under Proposition BB in the Sweetwater Union High School District is in full throttle this month-with more than $41 million in construction at three schools currently underway.

New classrooms, science labs and miles of underground sewer and electrical lines are already taking shape at Bonita Vista High School ($14.3 million), Castle Park High School ($13.8 million) and Southwest Middle School ($13.1 million). And by June 21-the day after the school year ends-construction will begin at an additional eight schools bringing the total "construction in-progress" to $130 million at 11 schools.

The good news is that the "Summer Sprint" projects at five middle schools will be completed over the summer months, a deliberate move by the district to save money on costly relocatable classrooms.

"This is the largest construction effort in the district's 85-year history," said Board President Jim Cartmill. "Not only are we modernizing classrooms all over the district, we are building a new high school in the Otay Ranch area, and are in the design phase for another high school."

The dust will have barely settled on the spring and summer projects when the district will begin construction at six more schools. By the end of this first phase of construction, nearly every campus in the district will have received benefits from Proposition BB-11 years ahead of the original construction timeline.

"Each classroom being modernized will be upgraded to the new district standards bringing in data, power and other special utility requirements, including energy efficient lighting, as well as new science workstations, teaching walls and shelving for storage to meet or exceed the newly adopted Education Code requirements," said Katy Wright, Director of Planning and Construction. "Additionally, this phase of work involves upgrading the underground utilities so that each campus is capable of handling future requirements."

Accelerating Proposition BB modernization and construction is one result of the two-year process that created the district's Long-Range Facilities Master Plan, which was accepted by the board last July. This year's construction campaign represents Phases 1a and 1b. The Long-Range Facilities Master Plan also further defines and envisions future phases (Phase 1c, Phase 1d, Phase 1e) to bring all classrooms and teaching spaces up to the district's 21st Century standards.

The acceleration makes financial sense for the district, Sweetwater officials said. "With escalating material and labor costs eroding our purchasing power, the board supported our recommendation to sell the balance of the Prop. BB bonds, $96 million, giving us the ability to accelerate our timeline by as many as 11 years," said Bruce Husson, Sweetwater's Chief Operating Officer.

Selling the balance of the bonds last October also allowed the district to leverage the $187 million that voters passed through Proposition BB with a state match of $138 million for a total of $325 million that is being used to modernize classrooms, district officials said.

To support Sweetwater in its aggressive schedule, the district hired Harris-Gafcon in 2003 to perform program management services related to the design, bid/award and construction of all modernization work. The Harris-Gafcon team is led by Program Director Randall Duncan, who is accustomed to accelerating large construction programs. Duncan spent several years leading the damage assessment and rebuilding efforts at California State University, Northridge following the Northridge earthquake.

"Executing Sweetwater's plan was daunting at first-given the compressed schedule on the entire program-but we were up to the challenge," Duncan said. "We have been able to attract, pre-qualify and retain some of the best firms in the industry to assist the district in this effort."

Among those firms are four architectural firms-LPA Architects, Roesling Nakamura Terada Architects, Trittipo Architectural and Planning and GKK Education-hired in July, 2003, to work simultaneously on 22 projects at 19 schools. Last fall, five construction management firms also were hired to manage construction at each school site. The construction management firms under contract are C.W. Driver, Inc., Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc, Swinerton Management and Consulting, Inc., Rudolph and Sletten, Inc. and Turner Construction.

"Our principals, teachers and students are excited by what is happening," said Superintendent Ed Brand. "Sweetwater community members, including our Bond Oversight Committee, have been very supportive and pleased with our progress this past year. By this time next year, we'll be starting a new chapter in educational facilities."

To get regularly updated information on the work happening at each school, log on to the district's website at http://www.suhsd.k12.ca.us/PropBB/