Review Agenda Item
Meeting Date: 9/24/2021 - 7:00 PM
Category: Facilities and Operations
Type: Info
Subject: The High School Project Update
ACPS 2025 Strategic Plan Goal:
Goal 5: Family and Community Engagement
ACPS will ensure that all families and community members feel welcomed, respected, and valued.
Policy: FB - Facilities Planning
Funding Source or Fiscal Impact (where applicable)
File Attachment:
210924_Board_Brief_HSP_V1.pdf
210924_Att_1_Board_Brief_HSP_v2.pdf
Agenda Item Summary: The High School Project began in the summer of 2018 and has progressed steadily over the last three years. In 2019, the School Board voted to pursue a Connected High School Network. Following more than a year of planning, ACPS hired design team Perkins Eastman in December 2020, to execute the pre-design and design for the redevelopment of the Minnie Howard Campus. Below key project milestones have occurred to date:

• On February 4, 2021, the School Board voted unanimously to exclude affordable housing as a colocation option on the Minnie Howard campus.
• On March 4, 2021, the School Board voted to approve the full EdSpec document.
• On April 8, 2021, the School Board voted for the Pinwheel Concept as the design for the new Minnie Howard.
• On May 17, 2021, the High School Project team began the Development Special Use Permit (DSUP) process with a Concept I and II submission to the City.
• A community meeting was held on May 3, followed by a Superintendent’s Advisory Team meeting on May 4 to update the community on the design process, site elevation and next steps.
• On June 9, 2021, City Council approved additional funding to be coupled with ACPS funding to support an aquatic facility at Minnie Howard. ACPS also received the schematic design submission from architects Perkins Eastman.
• On June 21, the project team hosted a community meeting. At the meeting, the team shared an Animation Draft of the Minnie Howard Campus, and requested feedback on the design through a community feedback form that was open from June 21 to June 29. Over 400 people participated in the survey, including staff and students, and results from the feedback form showed a generally positive reaction to the design. A Superintendent’s Advisory Team meeting was also held on June 23 to discuss community attitudes towards the design.
• In June 2021, Gilbane Building Company joined the team as the Construction Manager at Risk and started collaboration on pre-construction efforts.
• In August 2021, the project team continued to refine the site design with 16 focus group meetings with internal staff and users. The final layout for the aquatic facility was also
selected. Loring Engineering Consultants joined the team as the commissioning agent, and an RFP for an external project management support partner was released. A community meeting was held on August 10 to inform the community of the refined site design, and provide an update on decision making concerning the aquatic facility. Community response to these topics and to the design process were discussed in a
Superintendent’s Advisory Team meeting on August 11.
Background:
Recommendation: The Superintendent recommends that the School Board review the information provided in the memo and attachment.
Approvals:
Recommended By:
Signed By:
Final-Clerk of the Board - Proxy