Joint Facilities & Grounds and Communications Committee Meeting Agenda/Notes - August 3, 2016

August 3, 2016 Joint Board Facilities & Grounds and Communications Committee Meeting Notes
11:00 a.m. ­-  Meeting Room A ­ - Panorama Village Bldg.
240 Villa Crest Drive
State College, PA  16801

I.         Call to Order
Mr. Leous called the joint meeting of the Board Facilities and Grounds and Board Communications Committees to order at 11:07 a.m. He noted the first item was Memorial Field seating capacity and turned the meeting over to Mr. Poprik.

Present: Harrison Bink, Vern Bock, Randy Brown, Anna Childe, Amber Concepcion, Mary Jenn Dorman, Scott Fozard, Jim Leous, Robert Lingenfelter, Nabil Mark, Mary Kay Montovino, Peg Pennepacker, Jason Perrin, Ed Poprik,  Chris Rosenblum, Wilda Stanfield, Ryan Walsh, Laurel Zydney

A copy of all materials distributed to board members for discussion is included with the official notes, unless otherwise indicated.

II.         Memorial Field Seating Capacity Discussion
Mr. Poprik prepared a memo regarding the seating capacity and noted the design team was present from Weber Murphy Fox ­ Anna Childe, Rob Lingenfelter and Harrison Bink. A master plan was approved in 2011­-12 and seating at that time was suggested to be 4,000 to 5,039. Prior to 2010, seating capacity was 4,061; in 2010 closed a section on west side, seating 3,687;  and today the seating capacity is 2,502. The planning is around 4,000 and the design team is looking at maxing out at 4,000 or going lower 3,000 to 3,500. Seating capacity triggers number of restrooms and noted at this time, Board approved 4,000 seats. A desire to reduce the seating capacity could lower cost approximately $500,000. Administration is recommending to keep the capacity at 4,000.  This item would need to come to the Board on August 8 if committee members think the Board might want to decide to change the course of the number of seats. Discussed pros and cons of how things currently are, how reduced seating could change the design, and if we go too small and then have to enlarge down the road. 

It was decided there needed to be full Board discussion about this. Spoke on the possibility of a 3,000 seating capacity to allow addition later on and Ms. Childe noted there could be a couple ways to approach adding capacity. Mr. Poprik will prepare for Board discussion Monday night and this item will be added to the agenda.

III.         District Wide Facilities Master Plan ­ Elementary Update
Calendar and Timeline
Mr. Poprik had provided the old and new calendar information for Board to view at their last meeting.  He reviewed what would happen at Board meetings on the new calendar, the final Forum would be October 17 and decision for projects option November 14 meeting. Mr. Brown added that the August 15 Forum was canceled and spoke on the various ways notification of this is being communicated to the community.

Mr. Poprik noted with the award of the DCED Grants, the nearly completion date has moved to June 2019 with the design start date of November 2017 allowing for a 12 month design process. If additions/renovations were done, it would need to be phased. Since Corl Street is not bound by DCED Grant, this project would be on a slightly different schedule but all could be complete for the start of school fall 2019. Discussed no constraints from PlanCon, new construction versus addition/ renovation, and  the project options and decision process.

Evaluation Matrix
Mr. Brown provided a draft evaluation matrix noting it is a work in progress. Started with Four Pillars as a good basis, then Project Goals, and the Evaluation Matrix. He followed the matrix of the high school project but some bullets are similar and some are very different. He spoke on Safety and Security, Educational Model, Site and Location, Cost, Constructability, and Sustainability and Environment. Mr. Poprik noted that many can be taken off the list, these are more for priority for the project, but do not help with the number of the projects. Mr. Brown could create a second matrix. Discussed project goals having bullets and not numbered, this being a great starting point, a possible sample filled in for better understanding, clarification for construction time and occupancy, and the process of the criteria score and criteria weights. Committee members decided there will need to be a Board discussion around priorities to make sure we have the right categories.

Demographic Timeline and Process
Mr. Brown reviewed what the District has received and reviewed to date. For future steps:
● The District will review draft report from demographer and work with municipal planning offices for an interpretation of new development impacting actual enrollment. Some could be contributed to shifting (family in district but moving to different area)
● The District will analyze facility classroom capacity compared to student enrollment along with looking at new programming and all will lead to school size capacity. The different school sizes were noted and should Board discuss school size and the capacity factors that would need to be considered.
Discussed: Have a model for District school size, have programmatic reasons, would need to discuss an educational model, could mirror process for class size that we already have with guidelines, and this discussion should be with full Board, not committees, based on time constraint.  In elementary, what drives the space would be X number of classes/grade due to having more impact versus the curriculum. Doing an overall district model has not been discussed, pull out spaces and specialized spaces allowing for flexibility, and something internal that is a school of choice.

IV.         Panorama Village Update
Mr. Poprik noted they are looking at mid­August for projected completion and move in projected for mid­-September.  Moving to Panorama Village are all Nittany Avenue offices except Registration Office.  Physical Plant, currently in Panorama Village, will move back to Nittany Avenue building.  Offices at Fairmount Avenue will also move to Panorama Village. All board committee meetings will be in the Panorama Village building after mid­-September. A chart was requested for where offices/people will be located.

V.         High School Update
Mr. Poprik reported they are working to get a lot done prior to the first day of school. He is a little apprehensive about the modulars being done and ready. There are no Code issues but service providers are the obstacle for this one.

VI.        Future Agenda Items
Mr. Brown noted that the August CAC for Facilities is being postponed. This committee’s meeting will be the scheduled time in September and on September 8, both Facilities and Grounds Committee and CAC for Facilities will tour the High School Project, 4:00 p.m. It will be a hard hat tour and the specific rules of what to wear and what will be provided will be provided to committee members.  The top of the steel showing at the project shows the top of the building, roof height.

FORUMS:          September 19, 2016, 7:00 p.m  -­ Mt. Nittany Middle School
                           October 17, 2016, 7:00 p.m. ­- Location to be Determined

Suggestion was made for a Forum on Memorial Field and it was determined it would take place sometime after October.

Mr. Leous noted that Memorial Field will be added to the Monday, August 8 meeting agenda, and Mr. Brown will tweak the Matrix Evaluation memo for the Board.

VII.         Public Comment
There was no public comment.

VIII.       Adjournment
Mr. Leous adjourned the joint meeting of the Facilities and Grounds and Communications Committees at 12:39 p.m.

Submitted by,

Mary Jenn Dorman
Board Secretary