Over on lebodesign.net, Dan Rothschild published his final comments on Farewell Toast.
Finally, as we are nearing the end of the year, and are coming up to a season of toasts, I offer the following toasts in regard to the design of our new high school:
May the loading dock on the front of the building not be too visually disturbing;
May the trucks backing in and out of the loading dock not be too disruptive or unsafe;
May the new traffic pattern looping around the perimeter of the south parking lot not be too annoying;
May the walk to the new athletic pavilion not seem too far away;
May the demolition of Building C not be too sad;
May the demolition of the existing tennis courts and construction of new tennis courts not seem too wasteful;
May the substitution of metal for glass on the exterior in order to save money not seem too industrial;
May the replacement of durable materials for less durable materials not result in excessive maintenance costs;
May the lack of clustering the academic departments not have a drag on collaboration between departments;
May the walk between classrooms not be too excessive so as to lengthen the time between classes;
May the circulation pinch points at the corners of the Student Commons not be too severe;
May finding the isolated Science department in their own building not be too difficult;
May the moving of the entire Special Education department off-site not label us as being insensitive to special needs;
May the relocation of the School Psychologists off-site not diminish the relationships between these professionals and their students and parents;
May the large discrepancy between the low bid and second bid on the General Construction not result in an undue amount of change orders increasing our costs;
May the expansive amount of site work not uncover too many hidden underground conditions;
And, may the multiple prime contractors on the project not subject our community to a litany of delay claims and litigation.
May the trucks backing in and out of the loading dock not be too disruptive or unsafe;
May the new traffic pattern looping around the perimeter of the south parking lot not be too annoying;
May the walk to the new athletic pavilion not seem too far away;
May the demolition of Building C not be too sad;
May the demolition of the existing tennis courts and construction of new tennis courts not seem too wasteful;
May the substitution of metal for glass on the exterior in order to save money not seem too industrial;
May the replacement of durable materials for less durable materials not result in excessive maintenance costs;
May the lack of clustering the academic departments not have a drag on collaboration between departments;
May the walk between classrooms not be too excessive so as to lengthen the time between classes;
May the circulation pinch points at the corners of the Student Commons not be too severe;
May finding the isolated Science department in their own building not be too difficult;
May the moving of the entire Special Education department off-site not label us as being insensitive to special needs;
May the relocation of the School Psychologists off-site not diminish the relationships between these professionals and their students and parents;
May the large discrepancy between the low bid and second bid on the General Construction not result in an undue amount of change orders increasing our costs;
May the expansive amount of site work not uncover too many hidden underground conditions;
And, may the multiple prime contractors on the project not subject our community to a litany of delay claims and litigation.
Finally, finally, the mission of this blog was to focus on the design of the high school. With the recent acceptance of the construction bids, the design is finally complete, and so is this blog. I want to thank all of my neighbors and friends, design professionals, members of the Community Advisory Committee, and a few of the School Board members who have offered their support and encouragement. It was very much appreciated.
Daniel Rothschild
Thanks Dan, for helping us play an active role in the redesign of the high school renovation.
Note that Dan only said he wanted to thank ," a few of the School Board members who have offered their support and encouragement."
ReplyDeleteWere the rest of the Board members giving their votes to special interest groups?
Happy New Year, Dan, and thank you for your efforts.
John
Someone sent me this link: Citizen Oversight Committees
ReplyDeleteCitizen oversight committees are a cost-effective means of ensuring a capital program is managed efficiently, effectively, and equitably. The rapid growth of school capital projects and the challenges associated with managing them demand effective oversight mechanisms are in place to prevent inefficient and corrupt activities. The committees are most effective when overseeing and monitoring the effectiveness of internal and external control mechanisms already in place. If other controls are not in place, the committee can identify where oversight is needed to protect against the loss of precious resources.
Maybe we should have these.
Elaine
Maybe, we should... sure couldn't hurt!
ReplyDeleteIt's a terrific idea, especially when dealing with a board that is afraid of referendums.
ReplyDeleteThe board is afraid of a finance committee, a curriculum committee, and the suggestions of the CAC. Where will they find quality candidates to serve on this committee?
ReplyDelete