HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 04-30-2007-ExtraSchool Construction Standards
April 2007 Update
As Proposed by the School /County
Collaboration Work Group
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Table of Contents
Introduction 3
School and County Collaboration Work Group Proposal
Traditional and Non - Traditional Models 4
Class Size and School Capacity 5
Square Footage
6
School Site and Minimum Acreage
6
Interior Building Space Allocations
(1,000 Student Capacity)
Non - Specialized Classrooms
7
Specialized Classrooms
8
Site Considerations
11
Best Management Practices and Development Standards
12
Cost Considerations
15
Other Considerations
17
Appendices
Appendix 1. Elementary School Space Profile and Square Footage
Standards
Appendix 2.
Middle School Space Profile and Square Footage Standards
Appendix 3.
High School Space Profile and Square Footage Standards
(1,000 Student Capacity)
Appendix 4.
High School Space Profile and Square Footage Standards
(1,500 Student Capacity)
Appendix 5.
School Project Cost Calculation Template
Appendix 6.
School Construction Project Components
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School Construction Standards
County /School Collaboration Work Group April 2007 Update
Orange County's current elementary and middle school construction standards have
been in place since 1996, and its high school standards since 1999. While these
standards have served as a model for many schools constructed in both the Chapel Hill -
Carrboro City and the Orange County Schools, it has become increasingly difficult to
adhere to the standards due to economic factors such as rising construction costs as
well as educational reforms such as changes in state mandated class sizes for
grades kindergarten through third. In addition, land use regulations and
environmental considerations that incorporate sustainable building components and
smart growth elements are becoming more prevalent in the construction industry. Two
separate School Facilities Task Forces, convened in 2000 and 2002, identified a
number of standards that required clarification and /or updating (e.g. baseline estimates
for per square foot cost, an appropriate inflation factor, percentage of project budget
that should be set aside for contingency, etc.). To that end, the Boards of County
Commissioners and Education recognized the need to update and refine Orange
County's current School Construction Standards, and last year requested that the
School /County Collaboration Work Group review existing School Construction
Standards with the intent of bringing them more in line with today's practices,
regulations, and construction market.
At the time that Orange Commissioners adopted the County's existing School
Construction Standards, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)
had Facilities Standards in place that established minimum construction criteria for
individual school districts to adhere to when they constructed new facilities or renovated
older ones. Since that time, the State has moved away from the "standards concept"
and now has "Facilities Guidelines" in place.
While the intent of the Guidelines remains consistent with the previously enacted State
Standards — to ensure that school systems provide adequate space for instructional
classes and activities — the Guidelines now allow for flexibility and allow for more
consideration of local situations such as availability of land or other limitations that
school districts may face.
The report that follows offers the Work Group's proposal.
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School /County Collaboration Work Group Proposal
Traditional and Non - Traditional Models
The Collaboration Work Group recommends that the Standards make a distinction at all
levels - elementary, middle and high - between "traditional" school models and "non-
traditional" ones.
• Traditional Model — The planning model for a traditional school is set out
in these standards. Capacity of a traditional school would be 585 for
elementary schools, 700 for middle schools and would range from 1,000
to 1,500 for high schools. For the most part, a traditional model would
consist of a site that would have sufficient acreage to allow for future
building expansion, outdoor play areas, full complement of athletic
facilities and on -site parking for faculty, students and buses.
• Non - Traditional Model — A non - traditional model would be one that
deviates in some way from the traditional model and would be defined on
a project -by- project basis. This model would offer flexibility and
accommodate various local conditions, including the availability, or lack
thereof, of land in addition to a school district's needs.
This report, outlines the Traditional Model at all levels and provides examples of Non -
Traditional Models. The Work Group foresees the need for Non - Traditional Models
becoming more prevalent in the future. Furthermore, the Work Group encourages
School Boards and County Commissioners to consider non - traditional models as they
plan new schools.
CI
Space Considerations
1) Class Size and School Capacity
The Collaboration Work Group recommends that traditional school capacity be in
accordance with State class size /teaching station requirements as outlined in
North Carolina General Statute 115C -301.
Elementary School - For school year 2006 -07, elementary class size /teaching
station requirements are:
• Average of 21 students per class in grades kindergarten through three
• Average of 26 students per class in grades four and five
• 10 students per class in special needs classrooms
Based on the average class sizes outlined above the capacity of a traditional
elementary school totals 585 students — a reduction of 15 students from the
previous County standards of 600 students.
Middle School — Middle school includes grades six through eight. For school
year 2006 -07, middle school State class size requirements are:
• Average of 26 students per class in grades six through eight
• 10 students per class in special needs classrooms
Based on the average class sizes outlined above, for school year 2006 -07, the
capacity of a traditional middle school averages 700 students.
High School — High school includes grades nine through twelve. For school
year 2006 -07, high school class sizes allow for:
• Regular classrooms with a minimum capacity 20 students per
class /teaching station
• Vocational Education class rooms with a capacity ranging from 15 to 20
students per class /teaching station
• All other classrooms range from— 15 to 25 students per class /teaching
station
o For example a theater arts class room may have upper range
capacity while exceptional education class rooms would be on the
lower end of the spectrum
For school year 2006 -07, the capacity of a traditional high school ranges
between 1,000 and 1,500 students.
The Work Group further recommends that should the General Assembly
amend class sizes at any level, the County's School Construction
Standards should be amended within some reasonable timeframe that
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would allow for consideration of funding and adequate timing of new
schools. While the Collaboration Group does not recommend going above the
state mandated class size at any level, there might be examples in the future
where total school capacity may vary from the Standards. For example, a
smaller than traditional school site may create the need to construct a smaller
school or a multi -story one. Other examples include a non - traditional school that
may allow for smaller than mandated class sizes or may include additional
classroom space for pre- kindergarten students.
The chart below compares existing standards with those proposed by the
Collaboration Work Group:
Capacity - Traditional Model
School Level
Existing Standards
April 2007 Proposal from School
Collaboration Work Group
Elementary
600
585
Middle
700
700
High School (Range)
1,000 1,500
1,000 1,500
2) Square Footage
In calculating total square footage of new schools, the Collaboration Work Group
concluded that the prior standards for square footage per student are sufficient.
Given the Work Group's proposed change in elementary class size and total
elementary capacity, as outlined earlier in this report, the proposed elementary
square footage is reduced from the previous standards of 95,235 square feet to
92,840. Statutory class sizes for middle and high school levels remain
unchanged from the previous Standards; therefore, the Work Group
recommends no changes in existing standards for total square footage of middle
and high schools. The chart below compares existing standards with those
proposed by the Collaboration Work Group:
Square Footage - Traditional Model
School Level
Existing Standards
April 2007 Proposal from School
Collaboration Work Group
Elementary
95,235
92,840
Middle
132,192
132,192
High School (Range)
151,049
1 251,345
151,049
251,345
Square footage of a non - traditional school may be higher or lower than those
outlined by the School Collaboration Work Group. Examples of factors
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considered as non - traditional include community recreational facilities such as a
gymnasium or smaller schools constructed on smaller than traditional sites.
3) Interior Building Space Allocations
a) Non - Specialized Capacity Generating Classrooms /Teaching Stations
Elementary — A traditional elementary school contains 25 non - specialized
classrooms. As stated earlier in this report, the Work Group recommends that
non - specialized classroom sizes for a traditional elementary school be in
accordance with State class size requirements as outlined in North Carolina
General Statute 115C -301. The Statute currently states that kindergarten
through third grade classrooms have capacity for 21 students per class
with third through fifth grade teaching stations having capacity for 26
students per class. Appendix 1 of this report outlines, by grade level, the
capacity and square footage guidelines for a traditional elementary school.
+)Middle —A traditional middle school contains 21 regular classrooms with an
individual class size of 26 students plus 6 science classrooms. As outlined in
Appendix 2 square footage for regular traditional middle school classrooms
plus storage total 1,014 square feet and science classrooms including lab
storage space, total 1,200 square feet.
4High —A traditional 1,000- student high school contains 24 academic
classrooms allowing for a minimum of 20 students per class in grades nine
through twelve. A traditional 1,500- student high school contains 40 regular
classrooms allowing for 26 students per class in grade nine and 29 students per
class in grades ten through twelve.
Square footage for traditional academic high school classrooms allows for in-
room student use computers and ranges from 850 to 950 square feet per
classroom and square footage for science classrooms, including lab storage
space, range from 1,200 to 1,500 square feet.
Appendix 3 of this report outlines capacity and square footage
guidelines for a traditional 1,000 student high school and Appendix 4
provides similar information for a traditional 1,500 student high school.
b) Specialized Classrooms
Specific functions of each specialized classroom determine the total square
footage needed for each. The narratives below provide overviews of the function
of each specialized classroom while Appendices 1 through 4 provide detailed
space profiles including square footage information for each specialized area.
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The Work Group recommends that the existing standards for specialized rooms
remain unchanged for traditional model schools.
i) Pre - School Area (Elementary Level)
NC Public Schools Facilities Guidelines recommend 1,200 to 1,400 square
feet for pre- kindergarten classrooms. Orange County Standards allow for
one classroom for pre- kindergarten children ages three and four at 1,700
square feet.
ii) Special Needs Classrooms (All Levels)
Programs for exceptional children vary greatly, depending on age of children
and local factors. Additional support spaces may be necessary for
exceptional education purposes depending on the program. Specialized
spaces, such as cooking areas, toilets, bath /shower rooms, laundries,
observation rooms, and special equipment to accommodate certain
disabilities may be required.
iii) Remediation and Resource Labs (All Levels) — School plans should
include one or more small group classrooms for remediation, conferences,
guidance and testing for groups. Smaller group activities may require
additional smaller rooms.
iv) Instrumental and Vocal Classrooms (High School Level) — Student
participation for these programs is often high — it is not unusual for the
number of students in these classrooms to range between 40 and 80.
Orange County Standards provide for a range of 2,800 to 6,600 square feet
for these two classrooms (not including storage).
v) Dance Classroom (High School Level) — Dressing rooms and access to
showers for dance students are desirable in high schools. If located adjacent
to the gymnasium locker rooms, this space can be combined. Orange County
Standards for this function range from 1,800 to 2,000 square feet.
vi) Workforce Development (Middle and High School Levels) — Facilities for
high school workforce development programs are often large, extensively
equipped and more expensive than regular classrooms because of their
similarity to industry. Square footage included in Appendices 1B and 1C
parallels the State Guidelines. In accordance with State statutes, a basic high
school vocational education program must offer at least three of the workforce
development programs. Many high schools offer all seven programs
including agricultural, health occupations, business, family and consumer
sciences, marketing, technology, and trade and industrial. The number and
types of laboratories depend on local factors. More than one laboratory for a
program such as family and consumer sciences education may be necessary
in larger schools. Another factor to consider is the co -use of the darkroom of
a school. A larger- than - standard darkroom with additional storage could
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serve art and science programs as well as workforce development programs.
Existing County high school standards allow for offering all seven programs
with allocated space for each program ranging from 10,750 to 16,100 square
feet.
c) Media Center Standards (All Levels) - The capacity for the media center of the
school should be ten percent of the average daily membership of the school.
State guidelines recommend that the media center be located on the ground
floor, be single story and convenient to all learning areas of the school. Minimum
support areas include offices, work/production rooms, conference rooms,
periodical storage, audiovisual equipment storage, and spaces for professional
collections.
State guidelines recommend that the media center's location should not preclude
future expansion of the facility.
When appropriate, school media centers allow for joint use and public access.
Additional technology and security measures are required in order to allow for
public access. During facility planning, the respective School Board, along with
the Board of County Commissioners, would invite local municipalities to
participate, financially and programmatically, in possible joint use opportunities.
d) Physical Education and Gymnasium Standards (All Levels) - The State
square footage guidelines for physical education facilities vary by school level.
Gymnasiums for traditional middle and high school levels should include dressing
and shower areas large enough to accommodate physical education and athletic
programs, offices and storage. Orange County Standards for a traditional middle
school includes locker rooms and weight rooms. Both elementary and middle
school levels allow additional space that would allow after school use including a
multipurpose room. In addition, Orange County Standards for a traditional high
school provide for an auxiliary gym at the 1,000- student profile compared to the
current standards of allowing for an auxiliary gym at the 1,500- student profile.
During initial facility planning and programming states, the respective School
Board, along with the Board of County Commissioners, would invite local
municipalities to contribute to funding a community use gymnasium or other
athletic facilities such as soccer fields.
e) Administration Standards — The size of the Central Office will vary according to
school level and staffing at each school. Partition construction should allow for
flexibility of space.
f) Student Support Area Standards - This general area includes counseling
rooms, guidance rooms and health services, social workers, psychologists or
other health professionals.
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g) Staff Support Areas Standards - In accordance with State Guidelines, Orange
County Standards allow for shared office and workspace areas for teachers. In
addition, the existing standards provide work areas for instructional, lab and
teacher assistants along with at least one centralized workroom for copy
machines and other specialized equipment and supplies that are not typically
located in teacher offices /workspaces.
h) Child Nutrition (Cafeteria/Food Service) Standards — Existing Orange County
Standards for all levels provides for a full service kitchen and seating to
accommodate the entire student body in no fewer than three shifts.
i) Dining areas allow for 12 to 14 square feet per pupil dining. The formula for
calculating dining area size is capacity / number of seatings x square foot per
pupil.
ii) State Guidelines calculate kitchen area square footage based on the number
of meals served per day. The chart below outlines the State's Guidelines for
kitchen areas:
Lunches
Served
Square
Footage
100
856
250
1,261
500
1,518
750
1,938
1,000
2,208
1,250
2,566
1,500
2,880
A non - traditional model may provide a smaller dining area if the district allows for
open lunch (i.e. traveling away from school for the lunch period).
i) Commons /Circulation /Entries /Building Support Standards — This area
includes miscellaneous space such as corridors, stairs, additional storage, book
storage, entries, mechanical areas, and commons areas. In addition, this areas
includes additional restroom facilities, academic house centrums and activities
areas.
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Site Considerations
1) School Site and Minimum Acreage
Traditionally, minimum acreage refers to usable, or developable, acreage.
"Usable" or "developable" acreage refers to those portions of the site where a
school district can construct something — examples include parking, playfields,
buildings, retention ponds, and septic systems. Examples of areas that are not
"usable" or "developable" might include mandated buffers, setbacks, slopes too
steep to be effectively developed, rock outcroppings, wetlands or environmentally
sensitive areas.
School site sizes for non - traditional schools may be higher or lower than those
outlined in the State Guidelines - for example, acreage may deviate from State
Guidelines in order to :
• Accommodate community use of the facility and multiuse recreational
facilities such as soccer and softball fields.
• Account for areas that cannot be built upon, such as steep slopes,
wetlands, rights -of -way, easements, setbacks, buffers or poor soils
• Meet requirement imposed by local ordinances — i.e. restrictions governing
the ratio of land that can be disturbed within a development and the
permitted amount of impervious service will affect the ultimate size of the
site
• Allow for on -site or off -site parking for staff, students, buses and visitors
• Accommodate the expanding number of middle and high school athletic
teams either on -site or off -site -- i.e. an additional ten acres or more of
land may be necessary to allow for an athletic stadium and associated
spectator parking.
However, other areas to consider in siting a new school include areas of
population density, public transportation availability and walkability, natural
geographic enhancements or barriers, road patterns, and existing or non - existing
infrastructure such as water, sewer and roadways. School systems should
actively pursue partnering agreements with the Towns and County Parks and
Recreation Departments, private developers, and businesses in an effort to
maximize joint use of facilities. Future projects should also include:
• Xeriscaping and regulatory buffers
• Use of synthetic turf for athletic fields or installation of irrigation
systems.
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The chart below compares existing standards with those proposed by the
Collaboration Work Group:
School Site Acreage - Existinq Standards -Traditional Model
The Work Group recommends that the acreage standard for a traditional school
model remain unchanged.
With all of the above - mentioned factors considered, the availability of suitable
land and adequate infrastructure may create the need to construct a non-
traditional school on a smaller site.
As the availability of land becomes less and less due to development and land -
use regulations, the Work Group also recommends that the County, both school
districts, Towns, and possibly the University of North Carolina, partner to identify
suitable, available future school sites throughout the County. The partners would
meet periodically to update the database and report the findings to elected
officials on an annual basis.
Best Management Practices and Development Standards
The Board of County Commissioners and both Boards of Education want to
be good fiscal stewards of taxpayer monies. In order to meet this objective,
the Work Group recommends utilizing tools and best management practices
that allow for improved contract negotiations thereby resulting in the best
pricing and outcomes possible. With this objective in mind, the Collaboration
Work Group recommends that the following best management practices serve as
guidelines during facility planning.
a) Innovative Development Tools
1K
September 2006 Proposal from
School Level
Existing Standards
School Collaboration Work
Group
Elementary (10 developable
acres plus one developable
16.0
16.0
acre for each 100 students
Middle (15 developable acres
plus 1 additional developable
22.0
22.0
acre for every 100 students)
High School (Range) (30
40 to 50 f or a
45 to 60 for a
40 to 50 fora
45 to 60 for a
developable acres plus 1
1,00) student
1,500 student
1,000 student
1,500 student
additional developable acre for
high school
high school
high school
high school
ever 100 students
The Work Group recommends that the acreage standard for a traditional school
model remain unchanged.
With all of the above - mentioned factors considered, the availability of suitable
land and adequate infrastructure may create the need to construct a non-
traditional school on a smaller site.
As the availability of land becomes less and less due to development and land -
use regulations, the Work Group also recommends that the County, both school
districts, Towns, and possibly the University of North Carolina, partner to identify
suitable, available future school sites throughout the County. The partners would
meet periodically to update the database and report the findings to elected
officials on an annual basis.
Best Management Practices and Development Standards
The Board of County Commissioners and both Boards of Education want to
be good fiscal stewards of taxpayer monies. In order to meet this objective,
the Work Group recommends utilizing tools and best management practices
that allow for improved contract negotiations thereby resulting in the best
pricing and outcomes possible. With this objective in mind, the Collaboration
Work Group recommends that the following best management practices serve as
guidelines during facility planning.
a) Innovative Development Tools
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In North Carolina, school districts have a variety of options for constructing
schools:
• General Statute 143 -128 (a1) includes (1) Separate Prime Bidding,
(2) Single Prime Bidding, and (3) Dual Bidding
• General Statute 143 -64.31 provides for Construction Management
at Risk
• General Statute 143 - 135.26(9) provides for alternative contracting
methods
• Senate Bill 2009 (Senate Law 2006 -232) provides for capital leases
of school buildings and school facilities
Both the Construction Manager at Risk and the capital lease options allow
school districts flexibility in setting actual project cost. Examples of
potential benefits associated with these options include:
• Contract Negotiation - School Boards and staffs become integral
partners within the design build teams that includes the architect
and the contractor. This team develops a maximum project cost, in
a transparent manner, throughout all areas of the design and
development process thereby controlling these costs within the
design phase.
• Flexibility - While school systems had the statutory authority to
lease facilities in the past, with the ratification of Senate Bill 2009 in
2006, through public - private partnerships between Boards of
Education and contractors, school districts now have opportunities
for to enter into "build -to -suit' contracts. School districts have
opportunities to identify where the district needs schools, and to
provide design, programming and construction specifications to the
developer.
• Future Maintenance of Facility — In accordance with Senate Bill
2009, as part of contract negotiation, responsibility for future facility
maintenance /repairs and energy usage guarantees can be
assigned to the developer and not the school system.
• Ownership — Per Senate Bill 2009, transfer of ownership of the
leased property may occur at the end of the lease term or
ownership may stay with the developer.
• Time Savings — Contract negotiations offered through public - private
partnerships can potentially be conducted more quickly than more
traditional public methods. While entities may not realize major
cost savings in building costs, there may be savings attributed to
beating inflation.
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Based on County staff discussions with Local Government Commission
(LGC) staff over the last few months, it is important to note, that the LGC
considers capital leases as outstanding debt for County governments.
b) "Large Developer" Status
For the most part, local communities view school systems and
governmental agencies as "large developers ". While this situation offers
purchasing advantages on some fronts, it is also a situation that staffs
must manage effectively. Being viewed as a "large developer" often sets
"higher than normal" pricing standards in the construction market. As an
example, past practice has been that local governments and school
districts make construction project budgets known before the bid process
beginning. An unintended consequence of this practice has been that
development and construction markets tend to "re- adjust' their standards
upwardly, and bids more than likely come in at the "pre approved" level or
higher rather than coming in at less than the "pre- approved" level.
c) Value Transference to Stakeholders
"Value Transference" is defined as the value that an external entity or
stakeholder receives when schools and governmental entities such as
counties or towns invest in particular communities. Individuals,
businesses, and other public as well private entities benefit from school
and other governmental capital investments into a community. The impact
of such investments should be recognized in development practices and
principles relative to the potential revenues from the private sector that this
value transference creates. For example, schools and co- located
recreational facilities inure to the retail value of residential building lots and
existing homes. This value transference to the owner and /or developer of
this real estate may be recouped in the form of impact fees, transfer taxes
or other reasonable proffers.
d) Financial Strength
Strong financial conditions of Orange County and both the Chapel Hill
Carrboro and Orange County school districts should allow for negotiating
positions and purchasing power within land use design, development and
operations.
All of the practices outlined above offer guidelines to consider as each district
proposes new school construction projects.
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Cost Considerations
As a starting point for this update, in setting the budget for future school construction
it is important that the building cost per square foot reflect historical costs of
constructing new schools (both locally and statewide) as well as consider the current
construction market. A School Capital Review Team consisting of County staff and
representatives from each school district, would meet annually, in November, to
review construction and land related costs for actual school projects that have
occurred within the past year. Based on actual expenditures related to school
construction, the Review Team would recommend updated school construction
standard costs, which include all of the project components, for the respective
School Boards to review and for the Board of County Commissioners to approve. In
addition to school construction costs, the Review Team would also review the ten -
year Capital Investment Plan (CIP) process and pay -as- you -go funding allocations
for the upcoming long -range capital plan. The Review Team would take the
Construction Price Index (CPI) and benchmarks set by national education facilities
planners into consideration in recommending updated construction standards.
With historical practices, construction project budgets were established and
broadcast at the onset of project planning thereby "pre- setting" the budget for the
market to react to with the ultimate result of the construction community matching or
exceeding the budget. However, with future projects, the approach would vary
somewhat by not "pre- setting" the budget ahead of the bidding process. A more
conservative approach would be for the School Capital Review Team to create a tool
that analyzes historical costs of like projects (elementary to elementary, middle to
middle, etc.) across all project components. Appendix 5 offers an example of the
template that would serve as an analytical tool for developing construction project
budgets. Note to readers — Appendix 5 is pending finalization by County and
School staffs to include most recent school construction costs related to
Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools Elementary #10 as approved by Board of
County Commissioners on March 13, 2007. This tool allows for a comparable
cost analysis without establishing any advantages or expectations to the
marketplace.
The following section defines individual construction project components, and
Appendix 6 provides the information in a chart format. Staff plans to develop
construction project budgets and track actual expenditures in accordance with the
project components outlined in the chart. At the end of the project, staff will prepare
a final reconciliation and budget variance analysis for Commissioners and School
Boards to review.
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a) Site Acquisition
Site acquisition costs include costs associated with acquiring a site. Examples of
these costs include the actual purchase price of the property along with costs of
property survey, appraisals and deed recordings, testing to include soils, cultural,
archeological, environmental, suitability, and legal fees associated with purchase
and recording the property.
For purposes of this update, it is recommended that the per acre price be
consistent with the fair market value of land at the time of purchase. The
School Capital Review Team would review market value of land each year
during the process outlined earlier in this report.
b) Site Development
Site development should be broken out into two sub - categories:
i) Hard Construction — Site & Vertical Tasks
Costs included in this category cover the "usual' costs of all construction
activities associated with preparing a school site for construction (both
"horizontal" [dirt] and "vertical' [building] construction). Examples of items to
budget in this category include pre - grading and final grading of the site to
include playing fields and playgrounds, installation of storm water run -off
drainage, testing for soil suitability (rock), extension and /or installation of
utilities, building structure and systems (includes General Contractor and all
Sub - Contractors; satisfying municipal requirements such as storm water run-
off drainage; and landscaping to include, when feasible, xeriscaping.
ii) Hard Construction — Off -Site
This category includes construction activities for the surrounding area (costs
of "horizontal' construction). It does not include hard construction costs
associated directly with the building and direct site (see Section 2 a above).
Historically, these costs have been high in cost and are unique to individual
projects. Examples of off -site development costs include water and sewer
installations /extensions to the site, off -site road intersection improvements
including, roundabouts, turn lanes and traffic signals or other traffic control
devices, sidewalks, off -site environmental mitigation, construction of trails
and /or greenway systems and other municipal or state requirements. All
design work associated with these costs outlined in this section would be
considered "Hard Construction — Off - Site" costs.
c) Moveable Equipment
Examples of readily moveable equipment include office furniture (desks, chairs,
files, bookcases), cafeteria equipment (tables, seating, ovens, stoves,
dishwashers), conference room furniture, gymnasium bleachers and athletic field
bleachers.
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d) One -Time Start up Costs
Examples of one -time start up costs may include media center collections,
classroom textbooks and & supplies, musical instruments, science lab materials,
art materials, playground equipment, cafeteria utensils and trays, athletic
supplies and equipment (wrestling mats, basketball goals, scoreboards), athletic
and band uniforms, custodial cleaning equipment, lawn maintenance equipment,
recycling and trash containers, postage machines, specialized equipment such
as pianos, and signage.
2) Other Considerations
a) High Performance Buildings
During the planning process, school districts should give special attention to
incorporating fiscally sound energy efficiencies and sustainable green building
standards that use renewable /recyclable materials, improve the environment and
air quality, and reduce energy usage. Ways to achieve this include:
• Choosing efficient lighting systems and energy management controls
• Incorporating solar orientation, earth integration, and xeriscaping
(landscaping with slow - growing, drought tolerant plants to conserve water
and reduce trimmings)
• Selecting energy efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems
• Adopting energy alternatives and other conservation measures such as
day lighting, water reclamation and reuse systems, water free urinals,
photovoltaics, and xeriscaping
School systems should analyze life cycle costs of high performance systems to
determine their efficiency and sustainability.
b) Materials
Construction contractors and School district staff should select construction
materials based on low maintenance and high durability. The presumed life
cycle of new schools is fifty or more years.
c) Generator Ready Schools
Construction plans for all future schools should include the facility being
"generator ready" so that they can serve as emergency shelters as needed.
d) Other Considerations
Other site considerations might include:
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i) Types of landscaping and buffers at all school sites
ii) Installing synthetic playing fields or equipping athletic fields with irrigation
systems
iii) Installing covered walkways at student drop -off areas, main entrances and
bus loading areas
iv) Reducing student drop -off lanes
It is also important to note that the cost of the regulatory process has
historically been high and require from 12 to 24 months before the
construction project can begin.
11:3
April 2007
Appendix 1. Traditional Elementary
School Capacity
Number of
Classrooms/
Teaching
Stations
Capacity per
Classroom/
Teaching
Station
Total K5
Capacity
Footage Per
Classroom/T
eaching
Station or
Function
Total Square
Footage
Capacity Generating Spaces:
Kindergarten classrooms
4
1,700
1,700
Administration
21
84
1,240
4,960
First Grade Classrooms
4
21
84
1,240
4,960
Second Grade Classrooms
4
21
84
1,240
4,960
Third Grade Classrooms
4
21
84
1,240
4,960
Fourth Grade Classrooms
4
26
104
1,240
4,960
Fifth grade classrooms
4
26
104
1,240
4,960
Flex Class Room Space
1
21
21
1,240
1,240
Special /Exceptional Rooms /Speech Language
7
varies
20
807
5,649
Total Capacity Generating Teaching Stations
32
M
585
1
36,649
Number of
Classrooms/
Teaching
Stations
Capacity per
Classroom/
Teaching
Station
Total K5
Capacity
Square
Footage Per
Classroom/T
eaching
Station or
Function
Total Square
Footage
Non - Capacity Spaces
Pre -K classrooms
1
1,700
1,700
Administration
1
1,950
1,950
Art and Music
1
2,850
2,850
Book Storage
1
800
800
Cafeteria/Child Nutrition
1
4,700
4,700
Custodial Storage
1
500
500
Physical Education
1
5,250
5,250
Media Center
Science Project Room
1
1
4,200
1,200
4,200
1,200
Small Group Resource Rooms
3
450
1,350
Small Project Room
Staff Support Area - Teacher Offices & Work
Rooms
2
1
200
4,600
400
4,600
Staff Support Area - Conference Rooms
2
250
500
Staff Support Area - General Conference Room
1
200
200
Staff Support Area - Speech /Language Conference
Room
2
200
400
Staff Support - Teacher Lounge &Work Area
1
1,000
1,000
Staff Support - Itinerant Support
3
100
300
Student Commons
1
1,000
1,000
Student Support Area - Health
1
300
300
Student Support Area - Counseling
1
900
900
Circulation (including Additional Toilets)
1
22,091
22,091
Total Elementary School Square Footage (Capacity
Generating and Non-Capacity)
92,840
April 2007
April 2007
Appendix 2. Traditional Middle School
Capacity
Capacity per
Classroom/
Teaching
Station
Total 6 -8
Capacity
Square
Footage Per
Classroom /T
eaching
Station or
Function
Total
Square
Footage
Non-Capacity Spaces
Academic House Centrums
3 1,000
Footage Per
Activities Lobby
1 500
Number of
Capacity per
1 1,850
Classroom /T
Art Education and Music (Cultural Arts)
1 10,730
Classrooms/
Classroom/
1 1,800
eaching
Total
1 5,240
Teaching
Teaching
Total 6 -8
Station or
Square
2 1,000
Stations
Station
Capacity
Function
Footage
Capacity Generating Spaces
3,500
Consumer Education Lab & Resource Room
1 1,500
1,500
Computer Lab & Resource Room
Sixth - Eighth Grade Classrooms (Language Arts,
1,000
Video Production Room
1 1,000
1,000
Physical Education
Social Studies, Math)
21
26
546
1,014
21,294
Sixth - Eighth Grade Science Classrooms
6
26
156
1,200
7,200
Total Capacity Generating Teaching Stations
27
Staff Support Area - Conference Rooms (one per
grade level)
702
750
28,494
1 450
Number of
Classrooms/
Teaching
Stations
Capacity per
Classroom/
Teaching
Station
Total 6 -8
Capacity
Square
Footage Per
Classroom /T
eaching
Station or
Function
Total
Square
Footage
Non-Capacity Spaces
Academic House Centrums
3 1,000
3,000
Activities Lobby
1 500
500
Administration
1 1,850
1,850
Art Education and Music (Cultural Arts)
1 10,730
10,730
Book Storage /Central Supply Storage
1 1,800
1,800
Cafeteria /Child Nutrition
1 5,240
5,240
Exploratories
Foreign Language Classrooms
2 1,000
2,000
Career Explorations Lab & Resource Room
1 1,000
1,000
Applied Technology Lab & Resource Room
1 3,500
3,500
Consumer Education Lab & Resource Room
1 1,500
1,500
Computer Lab & Resource Room
1 1,000
1,000
Video Production Room
1 1,000
1,000
Physical Education
1 13,700
13,700
Media Center
1 5,700
5,700
Parent /Community Room
1 400
400
Receiving Area
1 200
200
Special /Exceptional Rooms /Speech
Language /Resource Rooms
5 660
3,300
Staff Support Area - Conference Rooms (one per
grade level)
3 250
750
Staff Support - Teacher Lounge & Work Area
1 450
450
Staff Support - Teacher Offices & Workrooms
1 4,600
4,600
Student Commons
1 1,500
1,500
Student Pro'ect Room
3 750
2,250
Student Support Area - Health
1 700
700
Student Support Area - Counseling
1 1,750
1,750
Circulation (Including Additional Toilets)
1 34,272
34,264
Total Middle School Square Footage (Capacity Generating and Non-Capacity)
131,178
Total Middle Square Foot Per Student
186.9
April 2007
Square Footage (Range)
Per Teaching Station or
N
Number of Capacity per Function Total Square Footage
Classrooms/ Classroom/
Teaching Teaching Total 9 -12
Capacity Generating Spaces Stations Station Capacity From To From To
Academic Classrooms (English, Foreign Language,
Social Studies, Math) 25 20 500 850 950 21,250 23,750
Science Labs, Prep & Storage
Physical Science
2 20 40
1,200
1,200
2,400
2,400
Biology
2 20 40
1,200
1,200
2,400
2,400
Physics
2 20 40
1,200
1,200
2,400
2,400
Earth Science
1 20 20
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
Chemistry
1 20 20
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,500
Special /Exceptional Children Self- Contained
3 15 45
800
1,200
2,400
3,600
Instrumental Classroom with Lockers
1 20 20
1,800
2,100
1,800
2,100
Vocal Classroom
1 20 20
1,000
1,500
1,000
1,500
Visual Arts Classroom
1 20 20
1,200
1,500
1,200
1,500
Theater Arts Classroom
1 20 20
1,800
2,000
1,800
2,000
Dance Classroom (including Storage)
1 20 20
1,800
2,000
1,800
2,000
Workforce Development (includes Agricultural,
Business, Family & Consumer Sciences, Health
depending on type of
Occupations, Marketing including a store,
ranges hom
classroom, ranges hom
Technology, Trade & Industrial)
11 15 to 20 145
850 to 3000
10,750
16,100
Gymnasium - Auxiliary
1 25 0
6,200 6,200
Gymnasium - Main
1 50 50
6,200 6,200
6,200
6,200
Total Capacity Generating Teaching Stations
54 1,000
30,150
58,300
68,850
Square Footage (Range)
Per Teaching Station or
Number of Capacity per
N Function Total Square Footage
Classrooms/ Classroom/
Teaching Teaching Total 9 -12
Non-Capacity Spaces Stations Station Capacity From To From To
Adminstration
1 1,900
1,900
1,900
1,900
Arts Education
Instrument Storage Room
1 400
600
400
600
Music Library
1 200
200
200
200
Instrument Repair
1 150
150
150
150
Office
1 150
150
150
150
Uniform Storage
1 400
600
400
600
Practice Room
1 551
60
551
60
Ensemble Practice Room
1 150
200
150
200
Kiln /Clay Storage
1 40
60
40
60
Art Material Storage
1 80
150
80
150
Theater Arts Auditorium (8' per seat; capacity
ranges from 1/3 to 1/2 of total school capacity)
1 2,667
4,000
2,667
4,000
Stage, Storage & Dressing Rooms
1 3,000
5,000
3,000
5,000
Light, Lock Vestibul, Lobby Consessions
1 800
2,000
800
2,000
Cafeteria/Child Nutrition
1 8,480
11,214
8,480
11,214
Exceptional Education Resource Room
1 4501
450
4501
450
Media Center
Main Room (5 square feet per total school capacity)
1 5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
Support Areas
1 2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
Video Studio
1 400
400
400
400
Control /Editing
1 260
260
260
260
Equipment Stora e
1 80
80
80
80
April 2007
Square Footage (Range)
Per Teaching Station or
Number of
N
Capacity per Function
Total Square Footage
Classrooms/
Classroom/
Teaching
Teaching Total 9 -12
Capacity Generating Spaces
Stations
Station Capacity From To
From
To
Physical Education
Spectator Seating (ranges from 400' to 500' per 100
seats)
1
4,000
5,000
4,000
5,000
Gymnasium Dressing, Shower, Storage, Lobby
1
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
Wrestling (competitive)
1
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
Resistive Exercise (Weight Lifting)
1
2,000
3,000
2,000
3,000
Staff Support Areas
Group Teacher Office/Planning (per teacher)
45
80
100
3,600
4,500
Special AssistantAtinerant Teacher Office/Work
Space
7
80
100
560
700
Workroom
1
300
800
300
800
Lounge
1
300
1,333
300
1,333
Storage /Prep Rooms (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
2
500
500
1,000
1,000
Student Support Areas
Guidance
1
300
300
300
300
Reception /Career Center
1
400
400
400
400
Counselor Office
3
150
150
450
450
Other Student Services
1
200
200
200
200
Health Room
1
2001
200
200
200
Circulation/ Commons /Entries/Building Support (45 %)
1
46,8771 56,703
46,777
55,503
Total High School Square Footage (Capacity Generating and Non -Ca acit)
151,049
182,710
Total High Square Foot Per Student
151.0
182.7
April 2007
Square Footage (Range)
Per Teaching Station or
N
Number of
Capacity per
Function
Total Square Footage
Classrooms/
Classroom/
Teaching
Teaching
Total 9 -12
Capacity Generating Spaces
Stations
Station
Capacity
From
To
From
To
Academic Classrooms (English, Foreign Language,
Social Studies, Math)
40
20
800
850
950
34,000
38,000
Science Labs, Prep & Storage
Physical Science
3
20
60
1,200
1,200
3,600
3,600
Biology
4
20
80
1,200
1,200
4,800
4,800
Physics
2
20
40
1,200
1,200
2,400
2,400
Earth Science
2
20
40
1,400
1,400
2,800
2,800
Chemistry
3
20
60
1,500
1,500
4,500
4,500
Special /Exceptional Children Self- Contained
3
15
45
800
1,200
2,400
3,600
Instrumental Classroom with Lockers
1
20
20
1,800
2,100
1,800
2,100
Vocal Classroom
1
20
20
1,000
1,500
1,000
1,500
Visual Arts Classroom
2
20
40
1,200
1,500
2,400
3,000
Theater Arts Classroom
1
20
20
1,800
2,000
1,800
2,000
Dance Classroom (including Storage)
2
20
40
1,800
2,000
3,600
4,000
Workforce Development (includes Agricultural,
Business, Family & Consumer Sciences, Health
depending on type of
Occupations, Marketing including a store,
ranges hom
classroom, ranges hom
Technology, Trade & Industrial)
13
15 to 20
160
850 to 3000
10,750
16,100
Gymnasium - Auxiliary
1
25
25
6,200
6,200
10,750
16,100
Gymnasium -Main
1
50
50
6,200
6,200
6,200
6,200
Total Capacity Generating Teaching Stations
79
1,500
30,150
92,800
110,700
Square Footage (Range)
Per Teaching Station or
N
Number of
Capacity per
Function
Total Square Footage
Classrooms/
Classroom/
Teaching
Teaching
Total 9 -12
Non-Capacity Spaces
Stations
Station
Capacity
From
To
From
To
Adminstration
1
1,900
1,900
1,900
1,900
Arts Education
Instrument Storage Room
1
400
600
400
600
Music Library
1
200
200
200
200
Instrument Repair
1
150
150
150
150
Office
1
150
150
150
150
Uniform Storage
1
400
600
400
600
Practice Room
1
551
60
551
60
Ensemble Practice Room
1
150
200
150
200
Kiln /Clay Storage
1
40
60
40
60
Art Material Storage
1
80
150
80
150
Theater Arts Auditorium (8' per seat; capacity
ranges from 1/3 to 1/2 of total school capacity)
1
4,000
6,000
4,000
6,000
Stage, Storage & Dressing Rooms
1
3,000
5,000
3,000
5,000
Light, Lock Vestibul, Lobby Consessions
1
800
2,000
800
2,000
Cafeteria/Child Nutrition
1
8,480
11,214
8,480
11,214
Exceptional Education Resource Room
1
4501
450
4501
450
Media Center
Main Room (5 square feet per total school capacity)
1
7,500
7,500
7,500
7,500
Support Areas
1
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
Video Studio
1
400
400
400
400
Control /Editing
1
260
260
260
260
Equipment Stora e
1
80
80
80
80
April 2007
Square Footage (Range)
Per Teaching Station or
Number of
N
Capacity per Function
Total Square Footage
Classrooms/
Classroom/
Teaching
Teaching Total 9 -12
Capacity Generating Spaces
Stations
Station Capacity From To
From
To
Physical Education
Spectator Seating (ranges from 400' to 500' per 100
seats)
1
4,000
5,000
4,000
5,000
Gymnasium Dressing, Shower, Storage, Lobby
1
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
Wrestling (competitive)
1
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
Resistive Exercise (Weight Lifting)
1
2,000
3,000
2,000
3,000
Staff Support Areas
Group Teacher Office/Planning (per teacher)
45
80
100
3,600
4,500
Special AssistantAtinerant Teacher Office/Work
Space
7
80
100
560
700
Workroom
1
300
800
300
800
Lounge
1
300
1,333
300
1,333
Storage /Prep Rooms (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
2
500
500
1,000
1,000
Student Support Areas
Guidance
1
300
300
300
300
Reception /Career Center
1
400
400
400
400
Counselor Office
3
150
150
450
450
Other Student Services
1
200
200
200
200
Health Room
1
2001
200
200
200
Circulation/ Commons /Entries/Building Support (45 %)
1
46,8771 56,703
65,634
77,788
Total High School Square Footage (Capacity Generating and Non -Ca acit)
211,487
251,345
Total High Square Foot Per Student
141.0
167.6
Appendix 6. School Construction Project Components
•
Purchase and contracted pricing of property
•
Survey
Site Acquisition — Tasks and
.
Deed recording
costs associated with acquiring
Appraisals
a site
•
Soils, environmental, suitability testing
•
Legal fees associated with purchase and recording
•
Pre - grading
•
Grading to include playing fields and playgrounds
•
Installation of storm water run -off drainage
Hard Construction —Site &
•
Soil suitability testing (rock)
Vertical Tasks and costs of
"horizontal" "vertical'
•
Utility extension /installation
and
•
Sidewalks
construction: all construction
•
Turn lanes
activities for the actual site
and building
•
Building Structure and Systems (includes General
Contractor and all Sub - Contractors
•
Municipal Requirements
•
Landscaping
Hard Construction — Off -
Site
•
Off -site Traffic Improvements
Tasks and costs of
.
Water and Sewer Service to the Site
"horizontal" construction: all
.
Off -Site Environmental Mitigation
construction activities for the
.
Trails and Greenway System
surrounding area, not
.
Related Design
including the building and
direct site
•
Prime Construction Contracts (includes general
Construction Costs —
contractor, electrical contractor, HVAC contractor,
Costs of constructing a new
plumbing contractor)
facility or renovating an
•
Other construction related work
existing one
•
Sprinkler
•
Expanded Water Flows
Appendix 6. School Construction Project Components
• Architectural /Engineering /CM services (examples:
educational specifications and programming,
schematics and design development, bidding,
construction documents, construction administration,
reimbursables, furniture selection) for Site and Building
• On -site engineering control inspections
Fees —All non - construction
• Materials testing
costs ( "soft costs ") related to
• Survey, Topographic and boundary studies
the direct site and building
. Local government applications and permit fees
(examples: special use permits, conditional use permits,
zoning permits, building permits, NCDENR, NCDOT
fees)
• Specialized consultants (examples: traffic engineer,
environmental specialist, project scheduler /expeditor)
• Connect fees to utilities
• Technology infrastructure (examples: wiring or fiber
optics)
Technology
• Computer equipment (examples: computers, printers,
scanners, servers routers, switchers, CD -ROM drives,
laser disc players)
• Fire /Security alarm systems
• Televisions, video recorders & cameras, satellite dishes
• Telephone system
• Technology consulting services
• Office furniture (examples: desks, chairs, files,
bookcases)
Moveable Equipment -
• Cafeteria equipment (examples: tables, seating, ovens,
Readily moveable equipment
stoves, dishwashers)
• Conference room furniture
• Gymnasium bleachers
• Athletic field bleachers
• Media center collections
• Classroom textbooks & supplies (including musical
instruments, science lab materials, art materials, etc)
• Playground equipment
• Cafeteria small wares (examples: utensils, trays)
One -Time Start up
Costs
. Athletic supplies and equipment (examples: wrestling
mats, basketball goals, scoreboards, etc.)
• Athletic and band uniforms
• Custodial cleaning equipment
• Lawn maintenance equipment
• Recycling & trash containers
• Postage machines
• Specialized equipment such as pianos
• Specialized si na e