By April 1, 2009
- Finalize architect's contract, enabling execution of contracts with engineering consultants.
April 2009
- Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical engineers brought on board.
- Begin site design in coordination with City and State representatives.
- Building Committee meets to review preliminary plans.
- Begin preliminary programming process with school district staff.
- Investigation of existing conditions at Jonathan Daniels School for heating system integration.
May 2009
- Obtain proposals from surveyors and geotechnical engineers for detailed site study.
- Revise schematic building plans to reflect school district staff input.
- Begin preliminary evaluation of High Performance Schools program and options.
June 2009
- Receive updated site survey & geotechnical information.
- Continue off-site / utility design process with City departments., DOT, DES etc.
- Review finalized floor plans with building committee.
- Finalize site plan layout, begin drainage / grading / utility designs.
July - August 2009
- Continue design development with all engineers.
- Develop building sections, elevations, interior designs for building committee review.
- Finalize High Performance Schools approach, define systems.
September - November 2009
- Continue building design, detailing, specifications.
- Review detailed room layouts with school district staff.
- Finalize site design, off-site design. Review with Building Committee.
- Submit all site permits to the State to begin 4-month approval process.
- School District to interview & hire Clerk of the Works.
December 2009
- Final coordination of building design & specifications.
January 2010
- Receive site permits from State.
- Construction drawings and specifications of KMS & SAU complete.
- Put project out to bid.
- Receive and evaluate bids.
February 2010
- Begin processing shop drawings for a spring construction start.
April 2010
- Begin Construction on new KMS and SAU building.
July - August 2010
- Complete work at Daniels School boiler room during summer vacation.
- Complete as much sitework as possible during summer vacation.
September 2010
- Playing fields seeded for play in fall 2011.
December 2010
- SAU completed by winter 2010.
- KMS enclosed with roof on and heated by winter 2010.
- Wood chip plant on line to heat SAU / Daniels, and KMS during construction.
August 2011
- Project complete.
What Led up to the vote in March 2009
The Keene Board of Education set six dates in the fall of 2008 for community forums to update residents about different aspects of the Keene Middle School project and to receive feedback on those topics from the public.
"We have received a grant from the NH Charitable Foundation which will enable us to do an in-depth comparison of renovating our current middle school and building a new school on Maple Ave, said Elizabeth H. Coppola, a member of the Keene Board of Education and Chair of the Keene Middle School Ad Hoc Committee. This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to participate in a process that will allow us to make a well-informed decision about the future of Keene Middle School."
Three of the meetings had a similar format - a presentation by experts and then an opportunity for questions and answers from the public. To accommodate those who could not attend the initial meetings, each was followed by a Saturday visioning workshop at which time a summary of the earlier meeting was given and then those in attendance broke into small groups to delve into the subject more deeply.
- September 17, 7 p.m., KHS Auditorium
Topic: Educational Specifications Determining What We Want in Our Middle School
Presenters: Edward Murdough, NH Dept. of Education; Dorothy Frazier, KMS Principal; and Frank Marinace, architect
- September 20, 8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m., KHS LGIA (Large Group Instruction Area)
This was the follow-up workshop to the September 17th Community Forum
- October 2, 7 p.m., KHS Auditorium
Topic: Environmental and Traffic Impact at the Current Middle School and Proposed Site on Maple Avenue.
Presenters: Carolyn Sarno of NEEP (Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships) and Laurie Rauseo, a professional traffic engineer.
- October 4, 8:30 - 10 a.m. KHS LGIA
This was the follow-up workshop to the October 2nd Community Forum
- October 20, 7 p.m. KHS Auditorium
Topic: How a Renovated or a New Middle School fits in with the City's Master Plan.
Presenter: Rhett Lamb, Director, City of Keene Planning Department.
John R. Harper, SAU 29 Business Administrator, presented two appraisals of the current middle school building and property (one local, one from outside the region).
- Nov. 1 - 8:30 -10 a.m. KHS LGIA
This was the follow-up workshop to the October 20th Community Forum
Background: A bit of history to contribute to the discussion about whether or not the community wants to completely renovate the existing middle school or to build a new school on district owned property on Maple Avenue in West Keene.
Keene Middle School (KMS), built in 1912, has served the community well for the past 96 years first as a high school, then as a junior high school and most recently as a middle school. This aging building now faces numerous health and safety code violations, and structural limitations which affect, not only the health and well being of the 1,000 students and staff who occupy the building on a daily basis, but also the quality of the education program.
After studying the situation for more than 18 months and holding four public forums, the Keene Board of Education voted in January 2008 to recommend to the public that a new school be built. The first step called for approval of a $1 million bond to pay for complete architectural drawings and technical specifications for construction of a new middle school. That question was put before the voters in March of 2008. While the bond received 1,546 votes in favor and 1,069 against, the 59.2% support was just shy of the 60% super majority needed for approval.
After the vote, two things happened that had a direct impact on the future of the middle school.
First, in response to the Keene Fire Department requirement that safety issues needed to be addressed in order that the school open in August 2008, the board voted to begin a series of fixes at KMS to address the most pressing fire and building code violations. The first phase of that process was completed in time for the opening of school at a cost of about $500,000.
The second event occurred in late spring 2008 when an anonymous source offered $500,000 to finance a side-by-side look at renovation versus build new. The board accepted that offer with both parties agreeing to hire architect Frank Marinace to compete the study by December of 2008 in time for the board to consider his findings and to make a recommendation to the public in March 2009 about which option to pursue.
In an effort to involve the public in this important decision the board held a series of community forums in the fall of 2008 (see schedule above) to present the architects findings and to involve the public in a discussion about what kind of a middle school it wants.
There were three important meetings in December 2008.
" December 2, 7 p.m., KHS, LGIA - Architect Frank Marinace presented his firm's final feasibility study to the KMS Ad Hoc Committee on the cost, advantages/disadvantages, and time line for renovating the current middle school at 17 Washington Street or building new on district owned property on Maple Avenue.
" December 9, 6:30 p.m. , KHS, LGIA - Regular monthly meeting of the board. Architect Frank Marinace was present to answer questions from the public and the board about the middle school project.
" December 15, 7 p.m., KHS - final public hearing on the project before the board voted unanimously to recommend to the voters to build new on Maple Avenue.
Once that decision was made, a bond article was drafted and placed on the warrant for voters to consider on March 10, 2009. There were additional opportunities for the public to participate in the process before that vote - a public hearing was held on January 13, 2009 and the First Session of the Annual Keene School District was held on February 7, 2009.
Info you have any questions, please contact Public Information Coordinator, Christine Weeks,
cweeks@sau29.org/357-9002 Ext. 7.
Thank you for taking time to become educated about this important issue
