tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84095133528169737182024-03-21T23:28:13.917-07:00Toledo Builds a High SchoolInformation regarding the building of a new high school in Toledo, WA beginning in November, 2018.Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-37685297411607255472022-06-01T09:32:00.001-07:002022-06-01T09:32:08.033-07:00Project Close Out 6.1.22<h3 style="text-align: left;"> Project Close Out</h3><div>The Grand Opening of the new Toledo High School was held on April 22nd in the gym of the new school. The event was attended by members of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe who drummed and sang. Suzanne Donaldson from the Tribe presented a button blanket that is displayed in the Spirit Hall. Representatives of IBI Group Architects spoke about the design and process of building. The ribbon was cut by members of the board of directors and then the school was available to the public for touring.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jones and Roberts are completing the last of the details of the project including landscaping on the south side of the building. They are expected to be fully complete and billed out by mid-July.</div><div><br /></div><div>The district thanks Ross Parker Lead Architect, IBI Group, Forrest Roberts and Doug Jones of Jones and Roberts Construction, Doug Nichols, Project Manager, Mike Ross, Maintenance Director TSD, Martin Huffman, Principal THS and the staff and students of THS for their contributions to the completion of this project. Most importantly, we thank the taxpayers of Toledo School District for their willingness to support the building of this modern replacement for the old high school facility.</div>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-15223957390892030242021-12-06T09:44:00.000-08:002021-12-06T09:44:04.984-08:00Construction Update 12/6/21<p> Work continues on interior spaces of the school along with final touches to the new parking lots expected to be completed this weekend. Site work on the south side of the building (old classroom wing area) awaits drier weather. Landscaping in the front parking lot is installed. Traffic boulders will be in place soon to protect plants from drivers and to keep folks from parking in the lane in front of the stadium. New parking stalls have been striped on the road leading into the school and parking remains available on the tennis court. We've also added wheel stops to the north and west parking lots so parking will be available there soon.</p><p>Family and Consumer Science classroom will be the last room to be completed. Ceiling grid and mechanical hookups are underway. Sheetrock and paint are in. Casework and carpet will finish the room around the end of the month. Casework and furniture is nearly complete in all other spaces. Our contractors are working on resolving some of the oversights while also completing construction. Siding and downspouts are expected this week as are electrical and mechanical connections.</p><p>Most of the exterior painting is completed with the new colors. The interior of the building is brighter and better ventilated than the old building and the remaining roof leaks have been addressed thanks to a few days of good weather. We are grateful to our community for providing a space that is warm, safe and dry.</p><p><br /></p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-70023483271005992972021-10-01T16:34:00.000-07:002021-10-01T16:34:27.977-07:00Construction Update 10.1.21<h4 style="text-align: left;"> Construction Status</h4><p>Most of the spaces in the new school are occupied and used for daily in-person instruction. The Commons and kitchen are also in use as are all of the athletic facilities. Science labs, Art, Shops and all classrooms are complete. Still under construction are the library, music room and family and consumer sciences classroom. There are a variety of smaller, finish jobs to be completed throughout the facility, but those can be handled in the final days of work. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRFmH_587McQ3Nv2FvSLXqo5nKlLAbc51bg0e7M2mNAP2ffmBAh1AYKMFY8AhsFJwsCtKSie5O4gIBdeL1AhNEZBQ4NFMqvWb8GavIK9tnUY59V1IlXOsq3uXAqcG5-6TlKMFyRwa3Y4/s2016/IMG_3100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRFmH_587McQ3Nv2FvSLXqo5nKlLAbc51bg0e7M2mNAP2ffmBAh1AYKMFY8AhsFJwsCtKSie5O4gIBdeL1AhNEZBQ4NFMqvWb8GavIK9tnUY59V1IlXOsq3uXAqcG5-6TlKMFyRwa3Y4/w300-h400/IMG_3100.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>On the outside, work continues on the parking lot areas to the north and west of the building. The reason parking is so limited right now is that 75% of our parking is under construction. Irrigation is being installed in the front parking lot areas and concrete continues to be poured for sidewalks and ramps. </p><p>The board selected a different color scheme for the exterior of the building. You can see the mock up of gray and red/brown on the exterior of the building. Field color will be gray with accents in red/brown. We've heard many compliments on this combination and that it is preferable to yellow.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8FNXDybnquUm5Weg4PnHcrRo-SHo5oxRz4APVQHhWpsDWHqhgiC0QtS7-Sm_ghHTPdL1g4CuBwFtPJ839G5AqP0Hjx4XUbvYQrh5PFfI2boW1p0muuLvy5eZjyyLGlV-3WKCALWGf70/s2048/FAM+TEST2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8FNXDybnquUm5Weg4PnHcrRo-SHo5oxRz4APVQHhWpsDWHqhgiC0QtS7-Sm_ghHTPdL1g4CuBwFtPJ839G5AqP0Hjx4XUbvYQrh5PFfI2boW1p0muuLvy5eZjyyLGlV-3WKCALWGf70/w400-h266/FAM+TEST2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Members of the Grand Lodge of Washington F&AM rededicate the cornerstone of the high school.</span></p><br />Carpenters' Strike</h4><p>The Association of NW Carpenters voted down an agreement last week and went out on strike throughout Washington state on Thursday, Sept. 23. This means that most of Jones & Roberts team is not working on our project right now. Some subcontractors are continuing to work at this point. We are hoping that the parties can reach an agreement soon so that work on the project can continue.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa3IX537etsyfofu0CBH4l2OTSGbGZ9c7Rq_TJOEo-CoXw0pUZmHJnj2gFh_2wdtP7iJS7cP99w21xt-6uFqNQ045xe5Maut1G9FC9sqrcyEcNzGMyr1FPk-jQIKtOsk2TOEy_x4mwN4/s2016/IMG_3112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa3IX537etsyfofu0CBH4l2OTSGbGZ9c7Rq_TJOEo-CoXw0pUZmHJnj2gFh_2wdtP7iJS7cP99w21xt-6uFqNQ045xe5Maut1G9FC9sqrcyEcNzGMyr1FPk-jQIKtOsk2TOEy_x4mwN4/w300-h400/IMG_3112.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Roof</h4><p>We continue to experience supply chain problems. The most serious of these is not being able to take delivery on roofing materials. While we are hopeful that this will be remedied soon, it is difficult to get clear understanding of when these materials will be delivered (or even if they've been manufactured).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSGUcifPd2gqrg0oL4gb5B70ML_GN4Zsr5OrakIETr5yxgf0COCR7nfpnf-Fhbe7FqtHKzg36ixIoXIfb2IchILbNMbsjUiwblMW5p7dcyA_ydUblupg5uk9CBCwM_V6jp1HsT73y5XE/s2016/IMG_3115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSGUcifPd2gqrg0oL4gb5B70ML_GN4Zsr5OrakIETr5yxgf0COCR7nfpnf-Fhbe7FqtHKzg36ixIoXIfb2IchILbNMbsjUiwblMW5p7dcyA_ydUblupg5uk9CBCwM_V6jp1HsT73y5XE/w300-h400/IMG_3115.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Bottom Line</h4><p>Our project is on budget, but it is no longer on schedule and completion seems more likely to be in late November.</p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-37619738376215881352021-08-04T15:14:00.000-07:002021-08-04T15:14:40.274-07:00Construction Update 8.4.21<p>Our contractors have been able to maximize the good weather with pours of concrete around the exterior of the building creating new plazas for pedestrians. Furniture, fixtures and equipment are being delivered and assembled. The gym floor has been sanded down to bare wood and is now in the process of being stained and painted in preparation for a new finish. Interior spaces are in the process of being readied for the first day of school. We will be meeting Friday to confirm areas of the new building that will be ready for occupancy. </p><p>Some of the areas that will continue to have construction are the Family and Consumer Sciences classroom. This area is where the old office and student restrooms were. This class will meet in one of the science labs until the room is completed in October. Another area that will have ongoing construction is the area of the old classroom wing. This wing is nearly demolished and will be the site of a new outdoor learning and congregating area. There will be additional modifications that we expect will be ongoing through the end of December, however the project will be substantially completed in mid-September.</p><p>Having staff and students working remotely due to the pandemic and good weather through much of the project has helped us stay on schedule. However, supply chain challenges have nearly offset those schedule gains. Difficulty getting paint, doors, roofing materials, equipment and fixtures has delayed inspections and construction. As with any construction project, we are solving problems as they arise and are excited to deliver a high-quality building to the community.</p><p>We are tentatively planning the dedication of the new school in mid-September. The event will be on a Saturday to allow as many people to attend as possible. On August 27 at 6 p.m., officers from the Grand Lodge of Washington F&AM will be on hand to rededicate the cornerstone of the high school that was laid in 1974. Having the state officers perform this ceremony is an exceptional honor. We hope that you'll plan to attend.</p><p>As mentioned, the old classroom wing has been demolished. We have set aside a large pile of bricks for those who would like a souvenir of the old building. You will find the pile near the tennis court. Please note that there is no access for vehicles to load from this pile. This is intended to be an "all you can carry in your hands" opportunity. The bricks are rough and unsuitable for projects (unless you want to spend a lot of time cleaning off the old cement and cinderblock). <u><b>Please, do not enter the demolition area. It is quite unstable and dangerous.</b></u></p><p>Here are some recent photos from the site:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7v89oIU0ooz5O18YQmaojtK-kc6wYgkQBTtl4FyZY2qTyjMocZH0JAgOPU80mu4ECqHWYrLPpIZ0Au-eLodfb8iWSresGcMjDQ2HniSOGcSbggLzs2i3sMS5ITf9TfKkY2Rh87Tf99vE/s498/outdoor+classroom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="498" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7v89oIU0ooz5O18YQmaojtK-kc6wYgkQBTtl4FyZY2qTyjMocZH0JAgOPU80mu4ECqHWYrLPpIZ0Au-eLodfb8iWSresGcMjDQ2HniSOGcSbggLzs2i3sMS5ITf9TfKkY2Rh87Tf99vE/w640-h504/outdoor+classroom.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQy0sVgGXhhHp1BpsI0IWWs714EQtVvQhDvJJrBFja0zS738pC7phBDk3d1myyG0KikQ9whNsxALDMucxaZ0Nk4G38rJVNhxSNRJmgTp56GwYzwLJOzmrC_R46xJQt-pzfFiVTdwu8EX0/s502/backplaza.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="502" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQy0sVgGXhhHp1BpsI0IWWs714EQtVvQhDvJJrBFja0zS738pC7phBDk3d1myyG0KikQ9whNsxALDMucxaZ0Nk4G38rJVNhxSNRJmgTp56GwYzwLJOzmrC_R46xJQt-pzfFiVTdwu8EX0/w640-h518/backplaza.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViLSdYwdNZJ7hhEA_R2A7-kDvEtIRW42_SxoHJokQixMGYigmxpACsRc5uTnl4WTMJOXOymuPzxU06MhK9zLDUrqV4KPu32WJ_qPxqt4Rokoy-xFFOcEBE_mT16OKFIBdNga5yM230zc/s506/commons+hall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="506" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViLSdYwdNZJ7hhEA_R2A7-kDvEtIRW42_SxoHJokQixMGYigmxpACsRc5uTnl4WTMJOXOymuPzxU06MhK9zLDUrqV4KPu32WJ_qPxqt4Rokoy-xFFOcEBE_mT16OKFIBdNga5yM230zc/w640-h510/commons+hall.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqUqMPcKZrUaSXCW-1evMPGIMln8jf4xDf9DJgjarj-HtuuvmZ23ET-cV2_9qlFdaNJHtiG0GKhIvGr7akb3YJJh74HhOb1GJlQV9qC0kr_TUh2qmkYW7sAMonlbnslr91sqm68gLnQU/s513/demo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="513" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqUqMPcKZrUaSXCW-1evMPGIMln8jf4xDf9DJgjarj-HtuuvmZ23ET-cV2_9qlFdaNJHtiG0GKhIvGr7akb3YJJh74HhOb1GJlQV9qC0kr_TUh2qmkYW7sAMonlbnslr91sqm68gLnQU/w640-h538/demo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQCqDK_udRt-PBZQ3pW9iLy6ddFb1_8RnFgPzDYObPA7jI8s-W1aeITeqefWB89UodbSqm_5zVcS43u0vrTuSA3amRQm4qP26rjuscPg1KeGlYkv0endNRnmgg846vtK0Av0t6izF1F4/s499/FCS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="499" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQCqDK_udRt-PBZQ3pW9iLy6ddFb1_8RnFgPzDYObPA7jI8s-W1aeITeqefWB89UodbSqm_5zVcS43u0vrTuSA3amRQm4qP26rjuscPg1KeGlYkv0endNRnmgg846vtK0Av0t6izF1F4/w640-h546/FCS.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHtrL7z5E4DNTSO00OhAL4fS2PXO7DeiuLveRwMCFA8l4z14Lxc2cY_RvzDxFnj-I0k3IcQM0BskcGb4zeQOisZ9Gui_BdF2rRLa_3ygaVXHsofah_Z5ewi0i7twFEeCrZHJXKeUpgg0/s501/front2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="501" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHtrL7z5E4DNTSO00OhAL4fS2PXO7DeiuLveRwMCFA8l4z14Lxc2cY_RvzDxFnj-I0k3IcQM0BskcGb4zeQOisZ9Gui_BdF2rRLa_3ygaVXHsofah_Z5ewi0i7twFEeCrZHJXKeUpgg0/w640-h514/front2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWibGhKHWc4eI5wiuWYXnro2MwWjkzsUt7sjtvzSgGxCLky4SiQPuSt90nzhnD4hIRLVwgwgf6drv7SZT_3V4vu1ifpRy_0es9mnT69-ICp4b46ZhR2KLb2-a1vC9Ag_pgqdYcIyMNwxk/s505/front3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="505" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWibGhKHWc4eI5wiuWYXnro2MwWjkzsUt7sjtvzSgGxCLky4SiQPuSt90nzhnD4hIRLVwgwgf6drv7SZT_3V4vu1ifpRy_0es9mnT69-ICp4b46ZhR2KLb2-a1vC9Ag_pgqdYcIyMNwxk/w640-h530/front3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUMUIOQS4t35eQnpS4LplY1OGon9zEio0hyphenhyphenTBLDqXQQBj-pKNPZzTLPewzEdvjxAfDG69G7rnNwmnKwQ1YTwP55ZzKwab2QEtQTXXTy5WrLxISKYtcRfB4F-tQCP4rGtQTIPW9oXtIYQ/s506/front.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="506" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUMUIOQS4t35eQnpS4LplY1OGon9zEio0hyphenhyphenTBLDqXQQBj-pKNPZzTLPewzEdvjxAfDG69G7rnNwmnKwQ1YTwP55ZzKwab2QEtQTXXTy5WrLxISKYtcRfB4F-tQCP4rGtQTIPW9oXtIYQ/w640-h504/front.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ZvVLf4KJKrKTR3sCc8uZgj9hIjiRWjoSqwYiMJyQzJcgBMvyseJgw_IUYwQ4KmyVqvaF8wLvBQOIiYotAS2Q4qA6Rc_xfxTzie39Ta2i89lAPpu9TPQNEnu_qYE5Btnp9C7SIErfSFs/s508/library+gallery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="508" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ZvVLf4KJKrKTR3sCc8uZgj9hIjiRWjoSqwYiMJyQzJcgBMvyseJgw_IUYwQ4KmyVqvaF8wLvBQOIiYotAS2Q4qA6Rc_xfxTzie39Ta2i89lAPpu9TPQNEnu_qYE5Btnp9C7SIErfSFs/w640-h520/library+gallery.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-24199664407946071612021-04-23T10:10:00.000-07:002021-04-23T10:10:40.159-07:00Construction Update 4.23.21<p> Construction continues on schedule and on budget. Students are occupying the new classroom addition and locker rooms, staff is utilizing the new office spaces and the new Commons is being occupied. These facilities have superior ventilation, light and technology to support student learning. In addition, they are more accessible and well-insulated. Sound doesn't permeate walls, water doesn't come through the ceiling and walls and there are more supports for the work that staff and students do at school. The shops are complete and await delivery of new woodworking equipment in the summer (bandsaw, planer, drill press, table saw, lathe, etc.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KdQWQ_QJJiTchKiyGllwKKEJWcqh6O9bB5cP2kKs9YZ9zkI4CBhmIxBFHXLryPv7UdgQE9VSobh7eQMeROMqSF8CfhoM_1KGU_TSC9xPkUH2Lzmq__8-btFETSG7SXMPo1uvny7YTh0/s1440/170623653_2790445757875861_3012796066291864835_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KdQWQ_QJJiTchKiyGllwKKEJWcqh6O9bB5cP2kKs9YZ9zkI4CBhmIxBFHXLryPv7UdgQE9VSobh7eQMeROMqSF8CfhoM_1KGU_TSC9xPkUH2Lzmq__8-btFETSG7SXMPo1uvny7YTh0/w480-h640/170623653_2790445757875861_3012796066291864835_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7siPwYFetPDqSzy8qfV4QZLxjiFvdE0jo55IokeKt7If60ZVPs3oiu-4fxPTsYFC457XWGxLHNMZ0WjrMPHl13c-AKLHY_ljXRwCfNYbCk00fU2B6H5DF8unor4YEv_3BE5yKklQaqg/s1440/171874418_2790445784542525_6699736383770062663_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7siPwYFetPDqSzy8qfV4QZLxjiFvdE0jo55IokeKt7If60ZVPs3oiu-4fxPTsYFC457XWGxLHNMZ0WjrMPHl13c-AKLHY_ljXRwCfNYbCk00fU2B6H5DF8unor4YEv_3BE5yKklQaqg/w300-h400/171874418_2790445784542525_6699736383770062663_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqI0I48TOG_vvtVt-TqYvemQzeNUH5z1tAYYU2FpD5uJEz-0otqY65L76G3eHEsKjiDiJmqEyi-dtGcG2yt31UCLgkGdr8Bfi797ioxR-CLkXLC5WZ-IZuF9oNGpLOykHEWUiOvxW89s/s1440/171031053_2790445694542534_4365515306498305974_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqI0I48TOG_vvtVt-TqYvemQzeNUH5z1tAYYU2FpD5uJEz-0otqY65L76G3eHEsKjiDiJmqEyi-dtGcG2yt31UCLgkGdr8Bfi797ioxR-CLkXLC5WZ-IZuF9oNGpLOykHEWUiOvxW89s/w300-h400/171031053_2790445694542534_4365515306498305974_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl37N2sfWMwU4c2zAB3RlIsn6GKpcKujlsaBGWcJG0OTKSeIDNNF73QV0OhBqb7dnlgY0GeU_O4EG1B7BdsM1aNFZMqZwuBhB0htqyk-P7HXNgOoRa7F-M4S5AMf2XGBTgimSQ5TlBGQ0/s1440/170806758_2790445727875864_5706721991203142766_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl37N2sfWMwU4c2zAB3RlIsn6GKpcKujlsaBGWcJG0OTKSeIDNNF73QV0OhBqb7dnlgY0GeU_O4EG1B7BdsM1aNFZMqZwuBhB0htqyk-P7HXNgOoRa7F-M4S5AMf2XGBTgimSQ5TlBGQ0/w300-h400/170806758_2790445727875864_5706721991203142766_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwN5kIswKEsXnlRG0dNm7qs9UpiW0yQlBrQHGnwuC_OXdCQkYFr_8Aq4JELJj4Eiwi7SjklqSWNdQ_U2kPYYFvKIK9cQiql3h6W-Pfzf88YVSLlqrWX6zas6s7jFEnHkwnsfX2mpegKsI/s1440/170714241_2790445731209197_9010157685678606848_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwN5kIswKEsXnlRG0dNm7qs9UpiW0yQlBrQHGnwuC_OXdCQkYFr_8Aq4JELJj4Eiwi7SjklqSWNdQ_U2kPYYFvKIK9cQiql3h6W-Pfzf88YVSLlqrWX6zas6s7jFEnHkwnsfX2mpegKsI/w300-h400/170714241_2790445731209197_9010157685678606848_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcNMClvZcugHVeblF6fS2MvjgjZ9e-wSlNyWlj-GYfVldsRZdHYtP0uZ90crUgyF1_DcSFz86k_sJh8Adkx59TRjGxM61AMQV_lWMk1NKyLlJrJXmetTs98kDAR7Nl6SG6JeWZyfLv6o/s1440/170586825_2790445741209196_5804747206519223127_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcNMClvZcugHVeblF6fS2MvjgjZ9e-wSlNyWlj-GYfVldsRZdHYtP0uZ90crUgyF1_DcSFz86k_sJh8Adkx59TRjGxM61AMQV_lWMk1NKyLlJrJXmetTs98kDAR7Nl6SG6JeWZyfLv6o/w300-h400/170586825_2790445741209196_5804747206519223127_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfo7dGP8rjylJ_hBN-t558WOiCmNS7vmzOKZ_tD9m8fahF-P_98FFlYV_2dcVNDysn9FY5wrICrIMkm3zpdhWfq4V-4ld8f4PEkkmLXp38Zv76a5lFCTEEM8l2fpKoAOR5UFzNx7GSLE/s1440/170459624_2790445647875872_1418003936818334887_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfo7dGP8rjylJ_hBN-t558WOiCmNS7vmzOKZ_tD9m8fahF-P_98FFlYV_2dcVNDysn9FY5wrICrIMkm3zpdhWfq4V-4ld8f4PEkkmLXp38Zv76a5lFCTEEM8l2fpKoAOR5UFzNx7GSLE/w480-h640/170459624_2790445647875872_1418003936818334887_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>However, the project isn't complete. Work continues on the new kitchen which will be ready for inspection next month. With the exception of the dishwasher (new in 2016), all of the equipment in the kitchen is new. In addition, there are windows that look out on trees that give the servery area a nice atmosphere. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJPG0qZcDVns8eCzZRKno8GvRFxbXfZ0Zinthzak3ghOmmYXrwT-97pI-Aa521bfI4jpLfSpWakFtibsa9jf_DUJ_XUdyDbVO0EJqI2TPYnMoYiaHL8wrVF5Ju2Kx9i7MT4l4NEsyUas/s960/174285040_2799680816952355_4077009784904545396_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJPG0qZcDVns8eCzZRKno8GvRFxbXfZ0Zinthzak3ghOmmYXrwT-97pI-Aa521bfI4jpLfSpWakFtibsa9jf_DUJ_XUdyDbVO0EJqI2TPYnMoYiaHL8wrVF5Ju2Kx9i7MT4l4NEsyUas/w300-h400/174285040_2799680816952355_4077009784904545396_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRD2qEPf8Xt8XaiUdxeNLvMlph0tPvctYSZrjoNwx4zmbZk3N1y8B_nNViiXBR5Xub5fcwrdDWO06W3qsn9o5OlYMmb1w4o87jFkQ11KBhGgke4W8K9EZhpL4HKvQphbSAy0FZ6tLzv4/s960/176389103_2799680826952354_3117287868181893763_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRD2qEPf8Xt8XaiUdxeNLvMlph0tPvctYSZrjoNwx4zmbZk3N1y8B_nNViiXBR5Xub5fcwrdDWO06W3qsn9o5OlYMmb1w4o87jFkQ11KBhGgke4W8K9EZhpL4HKvQphbSAy0FZ6tLzv4/w480-h640/176389103_2799680826952354_3117287868181893763_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczWeimZaVGlLQJBWCS6ncn2hsONP2Wxyq5wfhMhVZRQf1GSWsR_D-Hkq5T6jpZhYl9ABAmzCNTfdCLigdnelAhQLW1O6Bkq7FLkhisc1HviZFI-KlboHtCNmPbhpGgu76NHxWWLcQqyU/s1440/176486172_2799680846952352_1770693686515740194_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczWeimZaVGlLQJBWCS6ncn2hsONP2Wxyq5wfhMhVZRQf1GSWsR_D-Hkq5T6jpZhYl9ABAmzCNTfdCLigdnelAhQLW1O6Bkq7FLkhisc1HviZFI-KlboHtCNmPbhpGgu76NHxWWLcQqyU/w480-h640/176486172_2799680846952352_1770693686515740194_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMd8fvTc7BXKjS_A8GvwMXFwu1sVYmW3LotWm87bXWUePd6jSzZVHno_pKfjhRqbjR1-AKJkUm2sboY_2bQWLzZMuiP02kdUo2hP469UZ8DZH1XdTkY8ZJTOkEXhPT8xifAc0mJFTeJY/s1440/176499839_2799680810285689_1766723310671437331_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMd8fvTc7BXKjS_A8GvwMXFwu1sVYmW3LotWm87bXWUePd6jSzZVHno_pKfjhRqbjR1-AKJkUm2sboY_2bQWLzZMuiP02kdUo2hP469UZ8DZH1XdTkY8ZJTOkEXhPT8xifAc0mJFTeJY/w480-h640/176499839_2799680810285689_1766723310671437331_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Casework is being installed in the Art and Science rooms as walls and floors are also completed in those rooms. Concrete was poured yesterday that leveled the sunken area of the old gym and where the old stage was. This will be the new library and the new Business lab. The final classroom to be built will be the Family and Consumer Science room. This will be placed where the old office and restrooms are currently. Unfortunately, our construction cameras won't be able to capture a lot of the work that we're doing between now and the end of June. In July, demolition of the old classroom wing will start and the site work for the new parking lot will begin. </p><p><br /></p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-33384846937705259912021-03-26T09:34:00.005-07:002021-03-26T09:34:56.585-07:00Construction Update 3.26.21<p> We've moved offices into the new building and have begun to use the new workroom space. Visitors will enter through the new main doors to the school and be greeted by office staff. The new classroom and office spaces are light and bright with plenty of room to maneuver. Ventilation and natural light are abundant. Reviews from students and staff are positive. If you visit, you'll notice what appears to be OSB on the walls. This was intended to be a protective wainscot. When selected, the building committee didn't realize it would appear to be OSB. We are in the process of identifying a replacement for that product.</p><p>Contractors have moved their focus to the Commons and the kitchen and expect those to be operational right after Spring break. The crew is working on installation of kitchen equipment and connecting all of the systems in both rooms including lights, Audio/Visual, plumbing, HVAC etc.</p><p>Contractors have also turned their attention to remodeling of the old Commons area. The stage is demolished and the sunken area filled in preparation for new concrete floors. The new wall for the Science lab is in progress. Work also continues on the music room. Family and Consumer Sciences classroom will be constructed in June/July.</p><p>The project remains on schedule with completion estimated in late August- just in time for school to open. The project remains on budget as well.</p><p>We plan to refinish the gym floor this summer. We will be painting new graphics and the floor will look like new. </p><p>There is concern about what changes will need to be made to the school if the Legislature passes SHB 1356 and we can no longer use Indians as our mascot. Throughout the design process, we predicted that this was a possibility and made plans to only include those items that could easily be changed if necessary. While we will need to rebrand if this measure passes, we will not need to eliminate display of artwork that is so important to our history. For example, the portrait of David Ike will be prominently displayed. Ike's seat in the bleachers and the Remington sculptures will still be in our school. Removal of our mascot does not change our history. Toledo exists because of the interaction and relationships of Cowlitz people with Europeans who came here. There is no legislation that can erase that fact and our tradition of honoring First Nations should be maintained.</p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-11073292748465904322021-02-17T10:23:00.000-08:002021-02-17T10:23:10.014-08:00Construction Update 2.17.21<p> Classes continue in the new classroom wing and we've hosted our first athletic event in the gym. Work on the administration hallway continues with drywall and painting underway along with other finishing work. Drywall and mechanical is going into the Commons and kitchen and new restrooms are nearly complete. We are expecting to be into the new administration hall by mid March and the Commons and kitchen right after Spring Break. Work continues in the shops with installation of new sinks and plumbing and the return of equipment from storage. We're waiting for new woodshop equipment to be delivered in June and will continue to use the existing equipment until then.</p><p>Here are some recent interior photos (courtesy Ross Parker, IBI):</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgz34rCSuljwSjlwKir2xaA5qmmhj325FfHveeYrwtj9ahZnW0zzuhtv_NfwC5lwAzO_zskk5T_-AoFaLL8zUghwjMYC7Z6BIn5fDHOgXmbTSBDKbSKVF3SP3YsI6Ce-UAaz82DCafFOU/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="602" height="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgz34rCSuljwSjlwKir2xaA5qmmhj325FfHveeYrwtj9ahZnW0zzuhtv_NfwC5lwAzO_zskk5T_-AoFaLL8zUghwjMYC7Z6BIn5fDHOgXmbTSBDKbSKVF3SP3YsI6Ce-UAaz82DCafFOU/w640-h531/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4Bx-zBq7XE4XeJhDpib-Mri_mIUnmZrueo2Q-q2ZYaaXH17vVbMqYKkORkw-8TJQ1A4iWOhU9yMBjxNrndwX5-LCeEBE119BAQoiQYzH4F0wCEKA7NYUCxQyXRt0cp8Vsi4T3I50Phc/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="603" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4Bx-zBq7XE4XeJhDpib-Mri_mIUnmZrueo2Q-q2ZYaaXH17vVbMqYKkORkw-8TJQ1A4iWOhU9yMBjxNrndwX5-LCeEBE119BAQoiQYzH4F0wCEKA7NYUCxQyXRt0cp8Vsi4T3I50Phc/w640-h278/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSO_9Si6S9OOs_OxB_yTYXO3v44AHRBaH6tLXmSbY5_-ldOKm8V_6Y6qo6vdERbK3oBxhnJ0c50kt2KCUFnAE6XgTo_9xZHLFXImc1OD8mh89QjZZ9FQ3dhdhe8PxVfZbzGdzn5QH_d4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="611" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSO_9Si6S9OOs_OxB_yTYXO3v44AHRBaH6tLXmSbY5_-ldOKm8V_6Y6qo6vdERbK3oBxhnJ0c50kt2KCUFnAE6XgTo_9xZHLFXImc1OD8mh89QjZZ9FQ3dhdhe8PxVfZbzGdzn5QH_d4/w640-h524/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4SsPweDM5ripSBpWYIcbrs6XN-f7Dw2gQCDlXdZc1OA6ciSXwVm2f2-bQe-Szjq85qjuIScJSSIE3_7WlimMfijMaNIUx79R_FmQuJRjZLadNFgYCbbTB34XdV79pfbIyQvpFelW1mI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="614" height="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4SsPweDM5ripSBpWYIcbrs6XN-f7Dw2gQCDlXdZc1OA6ciSXwVm2f2-bQe-Szjq85qjuIScJSSIE3_7WlimMfijMaNIUx79R_FmQuJRjZLadNFgYCbbTB34XdV79pfbIyQvpFelW1mI/w640-h533/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDOjFohkS5kIMC3BTOR_mr7PusmhJSDiwCfOCBs8bCkC6NjXfb9OxhOxbjmq2I93G9EqfH3w3A0gUNfc0Ksrje3hfYLI0yriRXOD7-tc31W8tsGvUkclEKjyERlPhaQz8I02IJw42Rr0/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="554" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDOjFohkS5kIMC3BTOR_mr7PusmhJSDiwCfOCBs8bCkC6NjXfb9OxhOxbjmq2I93G9EqfH3w3A0gUNfc0Ksrje3hfYLI0yriRXOD7-tc31W8tsGvUkclEKjyERlPhaQz8I02IJw42Rr0/w640-h398/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The rear hallway pictured above connects the new classroom wing to the new Library. The mezzanine stairs are from the mechanical mezzanine above the classroom wing to the roof. This is a much safer access than the previous ships ladders.</div></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-1556829210380306982021-02-08T18:05:00.002-08:002021-02-08T18:05:29.059-08:00Construction Update 2.8.21<p> Students occupied the new classroom wing of THS this week. They also got back into the gym and the new locker rooms. The response from the students was overwhelmingly positive as they now have sound-insulated classrooms with high quality projectors, sound systems and natural light. Students have been using the "Thinking Boxes" in the halls for special projects and to make up tests. We are still using the old classroom wing and offices while the new admin wing is completed (expected by late March). Art room and shops should be ready after Spring break. </p><p>The roof is fully shingled and masonry is being installed. Final touches on the new Commons and Kitchen are underway. The next phase of work will be largely inside the old structure as demolition continues and renovation proceeds. Science labs, Library, Business lab, Family and Consumer Sciences are among the spaces under construction. In addition, a new concession stand will be built using a portion of the music room.</p><p>Recent photos:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipeDQMKlzPUSeIdV0IYgayAJxbKLMkeVu2RVTeKPXTYG_jX2KoesvHBKXWsJIjNci3yxvj3cFUyUnpABWu-_3-Uk5P72bDudZVC2E2oeLa6M1J4PHqsSHLZAmE_wjX7TyQgiI63jf2aA0/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="646" height="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipeDQMKlzPUSeIdV0IYgayAJxbKLMkeVu2RVTeKPXTYG_jX2KoesvHBKXWsJIjNci3yxvj3cFUyUnpABWu-_3-Uk5P72bDudZVC2E2oeLa6M1J4PHqsSHLZAmE_wjX7TyQgiI63jf2aA0/w640-h531/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AQ89E4qwoKUVrOqqZZI8VTjOkWrZ0d5P4RCxxs6wXYkAI3LzPYQYIxW0hRva0EkpMT9t6EWWLUzbbjEQe6N5sJ7CqxJj65D88k1Q-y1l9ATdeAJ5oqGB9eCoSjmCfyMeQSvTHRavB6o/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="656" height="507" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AQ89E4qwoKUVrOqqZZI8VTjOkWrZ0d5P4RCxxs6wXYkAI3LzPYQYIxW0hRva0EkpMT9t6EWWLUzbbjEQe6N5sJ7CqxJj65D88k1Q-y1l9ATdeAJ5oqGB9eCoSjmCfyMeQSvTHRavB6o/w640-h507/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08Nk0ZRhaqriXChwmW8ZVfB9hhtuAC-QpPCTXGBF_K9xn9QbZPZ_IZj4dWJb7c-gGU2153NdELkjRChkOsK96ad_JdoKHnNto2wpudgKU2N3IDOPmqQffV2rx7VPXTsFvjQRHseDovEE/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="653" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08Nk0ZRhaqriXChwmW8ZVfB9hhtuAC-QpPCTXGBF_K9xn9QbZPZ_IZj4dWJb7c-gGU2153NdELkjRChkOsK96ad_JdoKHnNto2wpudgKU2N3IDOPmqQffV2rx7VPXTsFvjQRHseDovEE/w640-h258/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2L4un2IUUuJ7AJeYDLueTqzCv5NVrnyldXHj-ogbs3vQ0xExw492YeahXRXeLzYg7-RBOZj0vJ42eF1_iKmsQaztc5I_NnL8glbRkyZn1tDqdC-VEixFfw2T3itxEk6v7RwUTtJco7k/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="658" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2L4un2IUUuJ7AJeYDLueTqzCv5NVrnyldXHj-ogbs3vQ0xExw492YeahXRXeLzYg7-RBOZj0vJ42eF1_iKmsQaztc5I_NnL8glbRkyZn1tDqdC-VEixFfw2T3itxEk6v7RwUTtJco7k/w640-h262/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-27893635072389983722021-01-28T09:31:00.001-08:002021-01-28T09:31:29.238-08:00Construction Update 1.28.21<p>Next week, we will welcome the first students to the new THS classroom wing. Areas that are substantially complete are the main hall of the new classroom wing, the gym and the locker rooms. We are expecting to take occupancy of the remainder of the classroom wing, the Shops, the office wing, the Commons, Spirit Hall and Kitchen by the end of March. Demolition of the interior spaces has been underway for a few weeks. Work will continue on the Art room, Science labs and construction in the old commons, kitchen and music room to begin in April. This summer, the gym floor will be stripped to bare wood, repainted and refinished to look like new. Bleachers have been installed in the gym mezzanine for additional seating and aisles and handrails will be added to the south bleachers to make them more accessible. The gym has received a thorough acoustic upgrade and does not echo as much as before. Fans should notice that announcements are easier to hear and understand.</p><p>The project remains on schedule and on budget. Demolition of the old classroom wing will begin in late June with exterior landscaping and hardscaping during the summer. The project will complete in time for school in September. </p><p><br /></p><p>Our thanks to the Cowlitz Indian Tribe who came to the building this week to smudge the rooms. We've arranged for the Grand Lodge of Washington F&AM (Masons) to rededicate the cornerstone of the building in August. (This stone was laid by the Toledo Lodge in 1975). A grand opening will be announced later in the summer.</p><p>Watch our Facebook page for pictures from the interior spaces of the school.</p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-84554613706959949152020-12-04T11:29:00.004-08:002020-12-04T11:29:24.546-08:00Construction Update 12.4.20<h3 style="text-align: left;"> Classroom Addition</h3><p>The addition of classrooms is nearing completion. Currently, grid ceilings are being installed and connected to HVAC and electrical systems. Classrooms are painted and carpet is expected in two weeks. Corridors are ready for paint, HVAC and electrical. Lockers will be installed soon. Plumbing fixtures will come this month as well.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Locker Rooms and Gym</h3><p>Tile in the locker rooms is the last of the major work that needs to be done in this area. After that, flooring and painting will finish off the area and make it ready for students in January. The gym is repainted, new lights, acoustic treatments and a variety of other improvements. New bleachers will be installed in the mezzanine and the weight room will be returned to it's place. A lift is being installed to assist wheelchairs and others to avoid the stairs to the mezzanine. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Administration and Commons</h3><p>This area is still in the framing and insulation stage. We expect sheetrock and paint soon. The kitchen is being framed and sheeted in. These areas are expected to come on line in February. The vaulted ceiling has beautiful wooden beams that will have a natural finish. The entry canopy and the decorative lodge truss will be installed in a few weeks- footings are poured and ready. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science, Art and Shops</h3><p>These areas will be ready for students in January. The remodeled Ag classroom space and the refurbishment of the shops is nearly complete. The expanded Art room will be ready for students and will later include a new kiln as well as expanded storage and classroom space. The first of two new Science labs will be ready in January and will have fully functioning sinks, demonstration table, fume hood and clear access to the new outdoor classroom (to be constructed in Summer, 2021).</p><p>Most portions of the project remain on schedule and we are currently on budget for the project. If you are interested in a tour, please contact my office and I'll include you in the next available group.</p><p><br /></p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-4689337809743337212020-11-13T14:06:00.001-08:002020-11-13T14:06:10.021-08:00New High School Taking Shape 11.13.20<p> This was an exciting week for construction as the NE hip roof was completed with log support posts and the Commons saw the installation of steel posts and the enormous glu-lam beams that will be exposed in the vaulted ceiling of the Commons.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIjiMBrkxxWjpJjqV-dTiQBQshkLvHPwquLI3lZfDtF88FPCRAycaeDj6r4EiGsr_JQLlMriffFBkL5iVUz9gM_qTnzUHK36PdEZQxLivFF1-HrGBB5MfbNMTtA9K9lbCE-WqT1HeV2s/s1440/Commons+Rafters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIjiMBrkxxWjpJjqV-dTiQBQshkLvHPwquLI3lZfDtF88FPCRAycaeDj6r4EiGsr_JQLlMriffFBkL5iVUz9gM_qTnzUHK36PdEZQxLivFF1-HrGBB5MfbNMTtA9K9lbCE-WqT1HeV2s/w480-h640/Commons+Rafters.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7W9oDgOQwtnJtXShphwzg-ao2dhr9-o_QWG3dkpRuredozoEgnd5iO0-3GkuNE6Im4wWk14qjBFSDqNLfKSmUV3mdP-1T0bameOZZk5KPpyYnIAeUO4XiO6xuOw219qdaPdLXxPvwjU/s1440/Commons+Beams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7W9oDgOQwtnJtXShphwzg-ao2dhr9-o_QWG3dkpRuredozoEgnd5iO0-3GkuNE6Im4wWk14qjBFSDqNLfKSmUV3mdP-1T0bameOZZk5KPpyYnIAeUO4XiO6xuOw219qdaPdLXxPvwjU/w480-h640/Commons+Beams.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Looking up from the floor of the new Commons to the beams above. Wrapping will be removed to expose the wood when the roof is completed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Each of those beams weighs 6000 lbs. They were craned in as though they were toothpicks! <p></p><p><br /></p><p>In the hallway of the new classroom wing, there are areas where students can work on projects outside of the classroom. We call these "Thinking Boxes" and there will be special ceilings in these areas to distinguish them from the hallway. Here is a photo of the sheetrocked ceiling in a thinking box.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVQ1kHVCkBb0vUBmKFC-vU6hSxtU3ob3m8v5Rz8chep5x0-ssCP9IX534piiNu5vhnWXIp1bU65QupPbJ5YDF5d39I5QxoCnZkGC0zfUk4Wp10BbFER51BxRNdtH6_rLcIPpFhxaBK6U/s1440/Thinking+box+ceiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVQ1kHVCkBb0vUBmKFC-vU6hSxtU3ob3m8v5Rz8chep5x0-ssCP9IX534piiNu5vhnWXIp1bU65QupPbJ5YDF5d39I5QxoCnZkGC0zfUk4Wp10BbFER51BxRNdtH6_rLcIPpFhxaBK6U/w480-h640/Thinking+box+ceiling.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thinking Box ceiling</div><br /><p>The locker rooms are just waiting on tile. Lockers and floors are installed. The rooms are so bright with the new lights. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9Ijw6f6GLWPlfybhvvt38XtwWmJ5GP5U98w7Z8etWKtPAYefSdDB7Q2PBlZgyYyhLbdbaPMmpknL5kkT9ljZ28NJxSnT9aNYs8AKHpcdB1uoFlbTFY9_GIjmZYyYf-tse6lFX3Trysg/s1440/Coaches+Office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9Ijw6f6GLWPlfybhvvt38XtwWmJ5GP5U98w7Z8etWKtPAYefSdDB7Q2PBlZgyYyhLbdbaPMmpknL5kkT9ljZ28NJxSnT9aNYs8AKHpcdB1uoFlbTFY9_GIjmZYyYf-tse6lFX3Trysg/w480-h640/Coaches+Office.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Coaches' Office</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlvSFOQOCfE8jYjgoa_mB6myULOSkTctUkaOdJs2iUWPHIZLPL9JgeaR1Km3R4GnekUEzL_C0LYHqGQ5hq5f-CVDN77LC2BAgwO4aDtpGSo78gqE2ncbeQd_8a8ujb9xcZj_LjJ9D6BI/s1440/PE+Lockers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlvSFOQOCfE8jYjgoa_mB6myULOSkTctUkaOdJs2iUWPHIZLPL9JgeaR1Km3R4GnekUEzL_C0LYHqGQ5hq5f-CVDN77LC2BAgwO4aDtpGSo78gqE2ncbeQd_8a8ujb9xcZj_LjJ9D6BI/w480-h640/PE+Lockers.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PE Lockers- For day use.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQhOZHdslYb_8arbVuu9UACr255QUqlarAcyGBJ4LsXYuS7smGDhdXYYV5dkIVUN-hTHu5ZzzMLOL0SHQrAO0KuMMoTVU8yIQDu2vd-Xkl6ZAKnc2QkLk0WhdBX9BZKK1BKNBaopMLJE/s1440/Varsity+Lockers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQhOZHdslYb_8arbVuu9UACr255QUqlarAcyGBJ4LsXYuS7smGDhdXYYV5dkIVUN-hTHu5ZzzMLOL0SHQrAO0KuMMoTVU8yIQDu2vd-Xkl6ZAKnc2QkLk0WhdBX9BZKK1BKNBaopMLJE/w480-h640/Varsity+Lockers.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Varsity Locker room.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is a varsity locker room and a PE locker room for girls and for boys. These are separated by doors and each locker room is fully functional- toilets, showers, lockers. When we have games, visiting teams will use the PE lockers and our teams will use the Varsity lockers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next week<br /></h3><p style="text-align: left;">Sheetrocking will continue in all areas next week and painting will begin in some areas. Exterior windows will begin to be installed toward the end of the week. Asphalt shingles on the new roof will begin. Framing in the new Commons and kitchen will continue.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Plumbing and electrical work continues next week in the gym. Ceiling grids are installed in the shop and CTE areas. Next week will see mechanical and electrical trim being added to that ceiling. New stairs are being constructed in both shops and new rails will be installed in all three shop mezzanines.</p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-48112911943815345572020-10-30T10:00:00.003-07:002020-10-30T10:00:53.025-07:00Update 10.30.20<p> Since my last update, framing and insulation is underway in the classroom addition. Mechanical, plumbing and electrical is being installed throughout the project. The roof is nearly ready for shingles. The chiller has been installed to provide cooling for the building and work is underway to build out the boiler room. Sheetrock is being hung throughout the project. Tile will be installed in the locker rooms soon. Lockers are installed and painting is underway in areas that are ready for it. Iron work railings are installed in the gym.</p><p>We anticipate moving existing furniture into the new classroom spaces in early January in preparation for students coming back to the building. While some classes will continue to meet in the old classroom wing, many will be taught in the new classrooms while the remodeling of the interior of the building is underway. We remain on schedule and on budget.</p><p>If you're interested in walking through the project, please contact me and I'll arrange for you to participate in the next available tour.</p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-47197210797006934002020-10-09T18:55:00.000-07:002020-10-09T18:55:02.692-07:00October Update 10.9.20<p>I thought this might be a good time to talk about where we've been with the project and how this design was developed. After four failed bond attempts to remodel THS, we were offered a Distressed Schools Grant from the State of Washington. This grant was contingent upon the voters in Toledo agreeing to a $7 million bond. Only a handful of school districts have received this grant and we were fortunate that thanks to Rep. Richard Debolt and Rep. Steve Tharinger this was included in the state budget.</p><p>In November, 2018, voters in Toledo approved this $7 million bond to build a new school. The language on the ballot was:</p><blockquote><p><i>BONDS TO CONSTRUCT SCHOOL FACILITIES - $7,000,000
The Board of Directors of Toledo School District No. 237
approved a proposition for bonds. This proposition would
authorize the District to acquire, construct and equip a new
building for Toledo High School; to issue $7,000,000 of general
obligation bonds maturing within a maximum term of 21 years,
and to levy excess property taxes annually to repay the bonds, all
as provided in Resolution No. 2017-18-16.</i></p></blockquote><p> We began the process by hiring an architect- Dowa-IBI (now IBI). Through our usual channels of communication, we invited members of the community, parents and students to participate in the design of the new school. What became apparent to the group early on was that $25 million would not build a high school of the same size and capacity as the current building. The members of the design committee decided to incorporate some of the square footage of the existing school and remodel it while also building new structures to solve some of the problems with the existing school. The design team made a recommendation to the board of directors who accepted it.</p><p>The next step was to make the community's design fit within the budget of $25 million. This was no small task and required a lot of estimating and some deep cuts to the design in order to develop something that we thought would elicit bids within our budget. Thankfully, we were successful when Jones and Roberts came in with a very favorable bid. This bid amount allowed us to go back to the community's designs and add back some of the features that we'd initially removed. These include a classroom that was removed, theater-style bleachers in the Commons a chiller for cooling the building and a covered workspace for the shop areas as well as full landscaping for the site.</p><p>One thing that we've always said is that if there are savings at the end of the project, those funds will be directed to paying down the bond rather than redirected to other projects. This is still our intent.</p><p>While this is not strictly a "new" school, since it is using square footage from the old building, every square inch of the building will receive some refreshment and most will find that it is a new school in every meaningful sense of the word new. Our promise has always been to provide the community with the best school that can be had for $25 million. I hope that when you see the finished product you'll agree that we kept that promise.</p><p>If you've driven by the school, you've likely seen that the new classroom spaces have been framed in and sheeted and the roof is "dried in" and nearly ready for shingles. On the interior, sheetrock and taping are underway in the CTE wing. The locker rooms are receiving paint and new shower floors have been poured. Lighting in the locker rooms is installed and in use. Lockers have begun to be installed in the hallways. We anticipate the wood columns to be delivered and installed sometime next month. As you walk through the project, it is easy to see where things will be and to get a sense of the scale of the building. The gym and shops are brighter thanks to new paint and the installation of new LED lights. The gym has less echo thanks to the installation of acoustic treatments in the ceiling. </p><p>We plan to bring students to campus (COVID permitting) in January when the new classrooms are completed. By waiting, we will be able to take advantage of the improved ventilation in the new construction. The available space in the old building is quite limited and our ability to social distance is hampered by construction. The office, Commons and kitchen spaces should be complete by mid-February.</p><p>If you're interested in the project or have questions, please give me a call. I'm happy to answer questions and talk about the project.</p><p><br /></p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-40707075466553943572020-09-08T08:28:00.001-07:002020-09-08T08:28:46.732-07:00September Update<p> Work on the new high school continues on schedule. While the building has been unoccupied, our contractor, Jones & Roberts, has been able to work quickly and overcome the supply chain delays that came with the pandemic. Thanks to a favorable bid, we've been able to restore some of the features that were removed prior to bidding. Some of these are:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Theater seating in the Commons</li><li>Complete refinish of the gym floor</li><li>New bleachers in the gym mezzanine</li><li>Aisles and handrails on all gym bleachers</li><li>New equipment for the wood shop</li><li>Engineered stairs for the shop mezzanines</li><li>Full landscaping including the outdoor classroom</li><li>Additional classroom</li><li>Increased square footage for the LifeSkills classroom</li></ul><div>Currently, Jones & Roberts is pouring the slab for the new Kitchen and Commons, sheeting the new roof, framing in the dormers on the new roof. In the locker rooms, they are finishing the taping and preparing to paint. New locker room flooring and finish trim will come by the end of the month. In the gym, acoustic treatments are being installed. Walls have been repaired and are ready for paint. New lighting fixtures are being installed. In the CTE (shop) wing, walls are framed and sheetrocked. Taping will begin this week. Construction of the new canopy structure outside near the dust collector will begin this week.</div><div><br /></div><div>We anticipate moving into the new constructed spaces in December during Winter break. Shops will be available for student use (pandemic permitting) in late October.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGOZwZ9S8Vikt7m2QP9eQlSugVI-jgAQTAdxwHtICKGuC1f6A0OB_94dG2xd2_3tQPhE_j0nGkVVYJq-M0oTdvOM9jK42c4-R6NdRN3pZrXL_oachMC3o4lOTMyfa8S2S36d9gKWMy-8/s2560/IMG_1238%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGOZwZ9S8Vikt7m2QP9eQlSugVI-jgAQTAdxwHtICKGuC1f6A0OB_94dG2xd2_3tQPhE_j0nGkVVYJq-M0oTdvOM9jK42c4-R6NdRN3pZrXL_oachMC3o4lOTMyfa8S2S36d9gKWMy-8/s320/IMG_1238%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mezzanine from the weight room area.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhBIiZpYWe5st98yIPLrwW_dNzByOr2cnC_mRNIx4VGuM_KrJuBlMLzaZV1BVC2HrOhwtFrn87c9MGh_dYCEKCPGtMaCujc7Ux3PELZtxaaJcdPsLmc_afYOzmGoqZJhLHdzApwFRGHk/s2560/IMG_1229%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhBIiZpYWe5st98yIPLrwW_dNzByOr2cnC_mRNIx4VGuM_KrJuBlMLzaZV1BVC2HrOhwtFrn87c9MGh_dYCEKCPGtMaCujc7Ux3PELZtxaaJcdPsLmc_afYOzmGoqZJhLHdzApwFRGHk/s320/IMG_1229%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Classroom area. New lockers are in the boxes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu4DDJmGvIzVVMjb9hr9HtJynwDjzJci13uhAhdVmFQOVBYIEtVqa9la1iu4zAhOq4wvkflv6mRubzwNYdOnFbxREnRrxDMuKn2VtCzpgGdPwa7gshuHbY8QDdcd3EMi53FUmQUMNPFg/s2560/IMG_1234%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu4DDJmGvIzVVMjb9hr9HtJynwDjzJci13uhAhdVmFQOVBYIEtVqa9la1iu4zAhOq4wvkflv6mRubzwNYdOnFbxREnRrxDMuKn2VtCzpgGdPwa7gshuHbY8QDdcd3EMi53FUmQUMNPFg/s320/IMG_1234%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Classroom corridor. Locker room entrance on the right.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpy88DYPITi6zV4eo69ExlvTbZMDwcD5N13tZ3e2y8LZE0iDvkjVl1kj5AWTlSnR4HXPjyghHZJ50HtAzOo3sZAbeiqpeqZPyFm_v7J8vRgjIuiWn4BWqG1TCHuhxPxlT9S-4me6Vk5Y/s2560/IMG_1237%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpy88DYPITi6zV4eo69ExlvTbZMDwcD5N13tZ3e2y8LZE0iDvkjVl1kj5AWTlSnR4HXPjyghHZJ50HtAzOo3sZAbeiqpeqZPyFm_v7J8vRgjIuiWn4BWqG1TCHuhxPxlT9S-4me6Vk5Y/s320/IMG_1237%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Science Room entrance. Corridor to the Shops.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">You can see what's going on in real time by checking our Construction Camera</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRDEwrgBqN0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRDEwrgBqN0</a></div><p></p>Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-36311848389163304862020-06-03T08:24:00.001-07:002020-06-03T08:24:11.594-07:00June Update 6/3/20The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted my regular updates. There is a lot of good news to report.<br />
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Because we received such a positive bid on our project, we've been working to add back a number of the features of the building that were lost to cost-cutting prior to the bidding. In addition, we'll be able to accomplish some things that will improve the facility that we didn't think we could afford. Many of these improvements will be in the gym. The gym floor will be completely refinished from bare wood. New graphics and coatings will be applied and the floor will look like new. We will add aisles and handrails to the "Band side" bleachers to improve access for senior citizens. The seats lost to these aisles will be made up with new "short stack" bleachers on the mezzanine of the gym (5 rows/ 125 seats). We will add an acoustic curtain on the mezzanine to allow separation of the gym and mezzanine for classes and different activities to take place at the same time. New acoustic treatments in the gym will improve the ability to hear announcers and music.<br />
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In the Commons, we'll be able to add collapsible theater seating. This will give us the ability to have proper theatrical productions and meetings.<br />
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A classroom that was removed from the initial design will be added in and additional space for our LifeSkills classroom has been added.<br />
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We will have improved and more organized parking in the redesigned and expanded lots. The lot at the baseball field will be organized to allow for more parking spaces and the new walkway from the field to the school will keep pedestrians safer.<br />
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We will need to use the tennis court as a parking lot for staff and visitors during construction. This will effectively ruin the courts and make them unplayable. Initially, we thought we would have to either find grants to restore the courts or demolish them. Happily, there is budget capacity to restore and upgrade them to quality playing surfaces.<br />
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Finally, the landscaping that was removed from the initial project will be added. This will give nice plantings in the front of the building, an outdoor seating area near the Commons, a small outdoor classroom seating space and the whole south side of the building will be converted to an outdoor learning space- new greenhouse, meadow and forest learning areas for the study of prairie ecosystems and forestry, raised beds for gardening and fruit trees. This will also be a great venue for outdoor concerts.<br />
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Because of the closure of schools, our contractors have been able to work without having to be concerned about students and staff on campus. This means that our project is moving quicker. While we are still predicting that we'll complete the project in August, 2021, work on phase two has begun about two weeks ahead of schedule and phase one projects are moving quickly.<br />
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The forms for the foundation of the new exterior walls are in and concrete will likely be poured in the next two weeks. The locker room plumbing is installed and footings for the new supports for the ceiling have been poured. We expect the new locker room floor to be poured in the next two weeks and the new walls chalked-in shortly after that.<br />
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Initial demolition of the CTE space is complete and asbestos abatement is currently underway. When it is completed, I plan to take photos of the cleared space. This work is the beginning of phase two.<br />
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Most of the excavation work is complete and the storm water, main water, main electrical and gas utilities have been located or relocated. Our thanks to the folks at our local excavation contractor- Midway- for their work on the project.<br />
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There is a link to our construction camera on our website or you can go to Youtube and search "THS Construction". This will show you the construction site 24/7.<br />
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<br />Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-6346220247755899792020-03-27T16:29:00.000-07:002020-03-27T16:29:23.766-07:00March 27Construction is underway. Just as Midway began excavating, Governor Inslee closed all non-essential operations in the state. We were worried, but learned yesterday that our construction project is considered "essential"! This means J&R can go ahead as long as they are observing social distancing protocols (they are). Here are some photos of the site taken this morning.<br />
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J&R Site Offices</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTpXpkM-al_RUEG10GFOJ3bqd_fCA85mQTzJ97W4SIerMU6WWBXjT197Vj-_49ybMCOKUlF16O40CCVJo9DY4BX7tpyyX3OI6MB4oB61R6p4IW8dGXfWtAonFPe-MY8CTPS_-ceRaLtM/s1600/IMG_0216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTpXpkM-al_RUEG10GFOJ3bqd_fCA85mQTzJ97W4SIerMU6WWBXjT197Vj-_49ybMCOKUlF16O40CCVJo9DY4BX7tpyyX3OI6MB4oB61R6p4IW8dGXfWtAonFPe-MY8CTPS_-ceRaLtM/s640/IMG_0216.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Installation of the new temporary front entrance</div>
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Locker Room demolition and electrical work begins</div>
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Storage trailer</div>
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Sare Electrical- Our Electrical Contractor</div>
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We're planning to bring back some additional square footage in the form of an additional classroom and increased space for our LifeSkills classroom as well as theater seats in the Commons, installation of the outdoor classroom and much more. It will be awhile before you'll be able to see a lot of work on the exterior of the building, but things are happening. To the extent that I'm able, I'll post photos here as this blog is updated.</div>
Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-20806161271137177132020-03-20T11:17:00.000-07:002020-03-20T11:17:20.722-07:00March 20 UpdateI've had some questions from our community and realized that I haven't updated this blog in awhile. Because our bid came back so positive, we've been examining some of the features that the design team removed from the bid to keep costs low. We're awaiting firm estimates, but it appears that we'll be able to add most, if not all of them back into the project- including a classroom that was removed and expanding the LifeSkills room so that it won't be so crowded. Other features that may return to the project include upgrades to the gym mezzanine, engineered stairs to the shop mezzanines, refinishing the gym floor to include new graphics, retractable, theater-style seating in the commons, upgraded ceiling treatment in the Spirit Hall, repairs to the parking lot, restoration of the tennis courts, fully-installed outdoor classroom, and full landscaping.<br />
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Jones & Roberts (J&R) have begun mobilizing their equipment including their office trailer to the THS site. Surveyors have marked the location of the new path from the ball field parking lot to the school. The project remains on schedule with phase one already underway. The construction camera is available at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRDEwrgBqN0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRDEwrgBqN0</a>. Because no one is in school for a few weeks, construction fencing isn't necessary. J&R have elected to wait to install that until we return to school. The new front door has been delivered and will be installed soon. J&R were in the building today looking at the locker rooms in preparation for demolition.<br />
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J&R has given us no indication that the COVID-19 event will impact the project in the near term, but we're all working in a fluid environment. Fortunately, we've not had much rain so some of the days built into the project for rain won't need to be used (yet).<br />
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As always, if you have questions about the project, be sure to give me a call or send me an email. I appreciate those in our community that have done so.Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-11624370857334498692020-03-03T07:24:00.001-08:002020-03-03T07:24:23.940-08:00March 3 UpdateOur project continues on schedule. We're expecting our contractors, Jones and Roberts, to locate their office trailers on site today and to begin installing fencing on Thursday. First steps will be to install the new front door and to create a pathway from the Baseball parking lot to the school. This path will allow students, staff and visitors to access the school without having to walk in the parking lot.<br />
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Value Engineering removed several features of the community's design in order to bring the project in under budget. Our bids were very competitive and we now find that we may be able to restore some of those features. Some of those include landscaping, refinishing the gym floor, retractable theater seating in the Commons and others. Those features that were removed are receiving new cost estimates and recommendations will be taken to the Board in the coming months.<br />
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Staff and students at THS have been working hard to pack up and get ready for construction. Mr. Huffman and the staff meet regularly to address the many details associated with sharing a school with a construction project. Everyone is very excited and looking forward to seeing the new school take shape.<br />
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Remember, you can view the construction site in real time by going to our <a href="https://youtu.be/tRDEwrgBqN0" target="_blank">construction cam</a>.Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-74951176153910269112020-02-04T10:14:00.000-08:002020-02-04T10:14:05.470-08:00Project update February 4<br />
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We opened bids for the high school project on January 14. With all of our
alternates included, the firm of Jones and Roberts was the apparent low bidder with a bid of $17,315,400.
There were six bids considered and five of them were within 1.8% of one
another. This is an indication that this was a very competitive process and
that the drawings by IBI Group were clear. Both of these are good for the
District. <o:p></o:p></div>
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According to their website, <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Jones and Roberts </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">has been helping clients construct healthy and
functional spaces. Since 1965 we have grown from two small Tacoma,
Washington companies into a leading regional construction firm recognized for
our quality, integrity and reliability. Our long term perspective is to
build value for both the client and the community.”</span><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Jones and Roberts
were the contractors on the renovation of Toledo Middle and Elementary schools
in 1996. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">On Jan. 16, the
Board voted to award the bid to Jones and Roberts. We signed the contract with
them at the end of the Groundbreaking Ceremony on Jan. 31.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The design team's estimate for the project was approximately $19 million. The $17.3 million bid
gives us the prospect of being able to go back to the original designs from our
community and add back some of the features that were eliminated in the bid
plans. This collaborative process will provide additional value to the final
facility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ceremonial
groundbreaking took place on Friday, January 31 at 4 p.m. in the parking lot of
THS. The theme for this event was “Honoring the Past, Embracing the Present,
Building for the Future”. Speakers included Cowlitz Indian Tribe Councilwoman
Patty Kinswa-Gaiser, First Principal of the current THS, Denny Clark, Board
President, Jerad Buswell, ASB President Greenlee Clark, Wyatt Nef, Class of
2022 (first graduating class from the new building), Ross Parker, Architect and
Pastor Joe Martin of the Toledo First Baptist Church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://youtu.be/foDsp0Hk2HY" target="_blank">camera</a> has been installed at the stadium to
livestream progress on the construction site. Patrons will be able to access real
time images of the construction as it is happening.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">We’ll be meeting
with Jones and Roberts on Feb 13 for the preconstruction meeting. This is where
we’ll get into the details of construction and phasing. You should see evidence
of construction taking place by the end of February. First steps will be
construction fencing and a new, temporary main entrance to the south of the
current entrance (away from the gym). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">This is an exciting
step forward in creating a new Toledo High School. Thanks to the generosity of
our community and the participation of Washington State, Toledo will get a new
school that is designed to last another 50 years.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-20634878241500989432019-12-05T13:17:00.000-08:002019-12-05T13:17:10.176-08:00December 5 UpdateThe high school project has been advertised to bidders for a couple of weeks now. At last check, three companies had requested plans. Subcontractors are working on their bids and will be submitting to the General Contractors who have pulled plans. We've advertised in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce as well as in the Lewis County News, The Daily News and the Chronicle. I'm hearing from folks in our community that they're planning to submit subcontractor bids. Wishing everyone good fortune as we move forward.<br />
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We'll have a meeting for interested General Contractors on Dec. 10 so that they can get an on-site view of the project and ask questions of the architects and engineers. Bidding will close on January 14 with bid opening at 3:15 p.m. at the Toledo District Office.<br />
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We're tentatively planning on a ceremonial groundbreaking on January 31 at 4 p.m. The project is scheduled to officially begin on February 3.<br />
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We've arranged with ToledoTel to install a video camera on the stadium that will stream live video of the project. We plan to include this view on the kiosks we've installed at the schools and at the Community Library and Post Office. We'll also have a view available on our website. This will give community members the opportunity to watch construction in real time 24/7.<br />
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Our architects from IBI Group will be on hand on Monday Dec. 16 to give students at THS a virtual reality "walk through" of the new school. Using VR technology, students will be able to "look around" the new school. Should be an exciting morning.<br />
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By clicking this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Uo9YyHtfgJmnS5_yQcVmhhDaetLS9_jk/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">link</a>, you'll see IBI's presentation to the Building Committee last month. It includes floor plans and phasing as well as some interior renderings. Those pages have a QR code in the upper right corner. Use your smartphone's camera to capture a code. It should take you to a Virtual Reality version of that area of the high school. By moving your phone around, you can see what the school is planned to look like inside.<br />
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Everyone is getting very excited for the start of construction. A lot of work has gone into the design and engineering of the building. We've done quite a bit of work to minimize change orders and to try to predict where there will be uncertainties. We're looking forward to seeing the plans begin to take shape.Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-38026892107335123542019-10-31T11:31:00.000-07:002019-10-31T11:31:05.071-07:00October 31 UpdateWe're working to get all of the government agencies to sign off on our construction plans in preparation for bidding in late November. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) needs to give us permission to go to bid. Agencies such as the County Health Department, Building Department, Energy, Labor and Industries and others are required to review and approve our plans before OSPI will green light our bid process. We plan to post our first advertisement for bids on November 26. Most of our agency reviews are complete and will be submitted to OSPI soon.<br />
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Our plans have also been submitted to an independent architectural/engineering firm for constructibility review. These consultants review our plans to be sure that they are clear and that errors and omissions are reduced. I think of this process like proofreading for construction. In addition, we've submitted our plans for a final cost estimate to confirm that we've prepared a project that is likely to be bid within our budget.<br />
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The building committee plans to meet on November 12 to review and approve the materials for the interior spaces. They'll also get a look at the Virtual Reality renderings of the interior. There are two views of the Commons space at these links. By clicking and dragging, you can get a 360* view of the space as it is designed.<br />
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<a href="https://api2.enscape3d.com/v3/view/1df06508-a7dc-4c40-9b44-061a42a10c3b" target="_blank">Commons from Main Entrance. </a><br />
<a href="https://api2.enscape3d.com/v3/view/b24c8ebc-a8a7-4deb-9b9a-6a97767722e3" target="_blank">Commons from gym access corridor.</a><br />
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These pages take awhile to load, so be patient.<br />
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We've begun work with a consultant to identify furniture, fixtures and equipment that can be retained, repurposed and refinished. She'll also work with us to identify items that need to be replaced. We're in the process of inventorying artwork and heritage items (like David Ike's portrait and composite photos of our graduating classes) so that they can be properly stored and a place for them can be prepared in the new school.<br />
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Our schedule calls for the first ad for bids will be on November 26. Our second ad will be on December 3. We'll have a pre-bid walk on December 10. The final addendum will be January 7. Bid opening will be one week later on January 14. Construction will start on February 3. The first things that people will notice are the construction fences going up and the new main entrance to the school being constructed.<br />
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We encourage all local tradespeople to make themselves aware of the bid documents and to participate in bidding. It is our hope that our school can be built by local people to the extent that bid laws allow. We plan to advertise heavily in the local area and on our Facebook page, website and this blog so that our local tradespeople can participate fully in this process.<br />
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<br />Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-22726578807102158882019-10-02T16:17:00.000-07:002019-10-02T16:17:28.167-07:00Its Just a PhaseThe new high school will be built in five phases beginning in February, 2020 and concluding in August, 2021. Phasing the project allows us to continue to operate school while construction is underway without spending funds on modular buildings and relocating. The drawings in this post all utilize the same color scheme: Green denotes the contractor's area. No students or staff will be allowed in this area during the phase. Blue is a shared area. This is the main drive into and out of the site. Orange denotes the area under construction during the phase. Keeping these colors in mind will help you understand what is happening during the phase.<div>
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One of the first things that will happen is the front entrance to the building will be fenced off along with all of the exterior doors to the gym and commons. A new (temporary) front entrance will be created at the site of the current Spanish classroom in the Classroom wing. All entrance and exit from the building will be through this door during construction.</div>
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<b>Phase One</b></div>
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Note the new front entrance (in orange). Student parking will be at the baseball field. Students will come to the school via the new pathway and crosswalk and enter through the new front entrance. Phase One will be from Feb.-June of 2020. Construction fencing will be installed and the construction area will be set up for contractor's use along with a temporary fire lane. Site work will commence to prepare for new construction including the transformer and chiller enclosures. In April, the gym and locker rooms will be closed off and renovation of these spaces will begin.</div>
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<b>Phase Two </b></div>
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In June -August 2020, the locker room renovations are nearing completion, site work continues and construction on new classrooms, offices, kitchen and commons gets underway. The Business Lab gets moved to a new location in the Classroom wing and renovations begin on the Shops. A new boiler room begins to take shape as well as the plumbing that attaches to it. Changes to the Art room and Ag classrooms are underway. In this phase, the tennis courts are converted to visitor and staff parking. This will continue throughout construction. The plan is to restore the tennis courts with grants and partnerships after construction is completed.</div>
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<b>Phase Three</b></div>
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This phase begins in September of 2020 and continues through December. Focus of this phase is to complete all new construction, site work and boiler/chiller installations with service to the new facilities. During winter break of this year, staff and students will move in and occupy the new spaces- classrooms, offices, commons, kitchen etc. In addition, displaced services will be moved to the Classroom wing to allow for renovation of those spaces- Art, CTE, Family and Consumer Sciences, etc.</div>
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<b>Phase Four</b></div>
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January to June of 2021 will see us working to renovate and remodel the interior spaces of the current building. This includes new Science classrooms a new Business Lab a new Family and Consumer Sciences classroom and a new Learning Commons (Library). This means that those classes will meet in vacated classrooms in the old Classroom wing (existing Library). You'll note in this phase that the temporary entrance has been replaced by the new front entrance and that the student parking lot is restored. The new main parking lot configuration will be started at this time.</div>
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<b>Phase Five</b></div>
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In this phase, we finish off the construction of the new school and parking lot and demolish the Classroom wing. Phase five takes place during the Summer of 2021 and is expected to be completed in time for school to start that year. A new outdoor classroom space is planned for the area occupied by the Classroom wing along with a new loading dock and service yard near the kitchen. A new greenhouse will be installed on the site of the current hoop house. You'll notice an increase in the amount of parking available as well as clear traffic patterns serving the school and the stadium. This, along with new pathways, crosswalks and signage will make pedestrian traffic safer at all times of the day and night.</div>
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These plans are still "broad brush strokes", but will likely not change too much in the coming months. As always, if you would like to see a copy of the permit plans, you're welcome to stop by the office or call for an appointment to chat about the project.</div>
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Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-67674371731974786292019-09-23T16:53:00.001-07:002019-09-23T16:53:45.501-07:00September Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since my last update, the design team has been working to make the community's desires for the new high school fit inside the existing budget. This has been a difficult process and I believe we are nearing success in that regard. Here's what we've been working on:<br />
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The community referred design "Option 6" to the board for approval in late April. Our architects, engineers, landscape designers, project managers and district staff then began the work of developing that design. We looked at our educational specifications, predicted costs, principles of good design and engineering as well as the desires expressed by the community. During this phase of design, we received our first cost opinion. The estimators indicated that our initial design would cost over $2 million more than our budget. We went back to work looking for ways to reduce the cost of the design.<br />
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This took us to June when we submitted the design to a Value Engineering team. This is a group of professionals who mirror our design team. Their task is to examine our design and look for ways to reduce costs and increase utility of the design. Even after our first round of cost-cutting, the VE team found that we were still an additional $2 million over budget. The first recommendation of the VE team was to renovate the entire building and not build any new structures. We immediately rejected this suggestion as our community had told us in four previous bond attempts that renovation of the school was unacceptable. The VE team made several additional recommendations for cost savings that reduced square footage, pitched lower cost mechanical systems and reduced landscaping and paving costs. The Design Team accepted some of the recommendations and developed more of our own. We've reduced the overall square footage by approximately 4000 s.f from the initial design by eliminating classrooms and reorganizing interior spaces. Renovation of some spaces will be limited to lighting, acoustic and HVAC. Some features of the building were changed to add alternates. This means they'll be added if funds are available to do so.<br />
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We will have some low-slope roofs that will sheet off to surrounding roofs with a steeper pitch. We will not have any parapets or interior drains that trap water. We'll return the building to a boiler system and include a chiller so that all interior spaces will have heating and cooling. A boiler system will have a longer lifespan and be more straightforward and economic to maintain than the solution proposed in value engineering.<br />
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Landscaping will be minimal and will be done by students and the community according to a design developed by the landscape architects. The parking lot will receive an organizational makeover with separate bus loading zone from parent drop off and student parking. Lanes will be clearly marked and additional paths installed to separate pedestrians and vehicular traffic. There will also be an additional 50 parking spaces in the design along with better parking lot lighting.<br />
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Initially, our design team was working to get everything done by June 30 so that we could go to bid in November. The VE team recommended taking more time to develop the plans for bid and going to bid in December or January. The VE team felt that the quality of our plans would be improved and would reduce change orders. They also felt that we would get more and better bids at the beginning of 2020. From the VE team's perspective, waiting until December would ultimately save the district money. The design team accepted that recommendation.<br />
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In order for us to go out to bid in December, we need to get approval from the State (OSPI). They require that we be able to "front fund" the project. While we do not have sufficient funds to build the project right now without State assistance ("front fund"), our cash flow analysis indicates that our current funds will take us to the end of 2020 before we need to rely on State Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) funds.<br />
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This afternoon, Dale Merten, COO for ToledoTel indicated that ToledoTel will provide the district with a $10 million letter of credit. With this letter, we will be able to demonstrate to OSPI that we can front fund our project. We are immensely grateful to ToledoTel, Dale Merten and Russ Ramsey for their generosity and willingness to support this project. ToledoTel has been and continues to be the leader in support of Toledo getting a new high school. While no money will change hands, this letter allows us to move forward. We estimate that the inflation savings between going to bid in December versus going to bid in August represents nearly a million dollars to the district.<br />
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In addition, ToledoTel is installing all of our district-purchased audio visual, security, networking infrastructure, and surveillance at no charge to the district. We expect to save an additional $400-$500,000 as a result.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This is the view upon entering the new school. Trophies will be displayed on the right of this hall and a "Hall of Fame" is envisioned for the right side as well as bench seating. Entry to the gym is via this hallway.</span><br />
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Once we have OSPI's approval, we'll go out to bid in December, select a General Contractor in January and break ground in February. Plans were submitted to the County for permitting last week and are available for public review at the district office. We're polishing the plans now getting into very granular design decisions.<br />
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Work continues on finalizing cost estimates, materials and fixture selections. We've been working with consultants on the details of ingress and egress along with security and safety. We've also contracted with a consultant to assist with procurement of furniture, fixtures and equipment in order to maximize our buying power.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This drawing shows Phase I of the project that will begin in Feb. 2020 and continue through June. The focus of this phase is on the gym and locker room renovation as well as site preparation for the new classrooms. The area in green is construction zone. A new front entrance will be created that will go through what is now the Spanish language classroom. The remaining phases will be the subject of a subsequent blog post.</span><br />
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The district team continues to look for grants and incentives to reduce costs. We'll be applying for a competitive Rural Modernization Grant through the State. If funded, it could pay for significant portions of our fire suppression system.<br />
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IBI Group (architects) had some summer interns who took on the project of creating a model of the school. While not exact, it gives a good overview of what we can expect in our new school. In addition, there are some artist's renderings of some of the interior spaces. You can see some of these on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/toledoschooldistrict" target="_blank">Facebook page.</a> Sometime in late October, we should get some virtual reality views of some of the interior spaces. This will allow viewers to "move around" in the space to see how all of the pieces of the design come together. Should be very exciting.<br />
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As I close this update, I just want to remind everyone that this is a work in progress. We're making and will continue to make decisions every day about this project. As we've said all along, we're working to provide the very best school we can within the budget that we've been entrusted with. While we've had to trim some features and space, I'm very pleased with the design and our progress on the project. As always, if you have questions, I invite you to contact me.Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-16238822546178506582019-05-29T10:15:00.000-07:002019-05-29T10:15:28.673-07:00End of May UpdateThe project continues on schedule. This past week, we met with the team from Sazan Environmental Engineering to do Value Engineering of the design. This process brings in an outside group of engineers and consultants to review the work that our team has done and provide advice on how the project can be improved for additional value and/or how costs can be reduced. The Sazan group will provide the team with some ideas that the Construction Committee will review.<br />
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Our landscape architects have developed some great ideas for reconfiguring the parking lots, bus and parent drop off zones. This design has a minimum of 150 parking places during the day and nearly 200 for evening events. This is a significant increase over the current capacity. In addition, traffic patterns are more well-defined and pedestrian walkways are separated from vehicular traffic for increased safety. (Notice the gravel path to the Baseball field that is separated from the road and the crosswalk between the stadium and the school.) Storm water is addressed by biofilters that are incorporated into the design to reduce runoff and pooling (green islands in the drawing).<br />
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Not included in this drawing is additional parking along the access road to the building through better striping of the road and signage. This adds additional space for events.<br />
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You'll notice that this design includes outdoor classrooms and an outdoor gathering area. By reducing the number of interior Science labs to two, we're saving money that can be used to develop the exterior into a variety of classroom spaces. In addition to forestry and agriculture, the outdoor area will include a proper greenhouse and raised beds for planting vegetables and fruits. There will also be outdoor areas for the Art Room and Shops for storage, cleaning and project staging.<br />
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This design was created by members of the community and it is serving us well. The team from Sazan was impressed with the work that we've done so far. We continue to work on this design to make it fit within our budget, so you may see some changes to the designs as we move forward. The budget for this project has always been tight, so we're looking for ways to economize and deliver the best possible school with the resources available to us.<br />
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<br />Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409513352816973718.post-90647699692347529642019-05-13T18:59:00.000-07:002019-05-13T18:59:36.199-07:00Project UpdatesThe Design Committee concluded it's work on April 25 and the Schematic Design is completed. Dale Merten will present the design to the board on May 16 with recommendation that the board accept the design. The committee developed a design that utilizes the existing gym, shops and the footprint of the commons. This was done as a cost-saving measure to be sure that the school could be built within budget. The design will add over 30,000 square feet of new facilities. Most of that is classrooms, commons, kitchen and office space. Locker rooms will be reconfigured to provide for PE and varsity locker room areas, offices and a training room. Improved Science lab spaces are planned along with an outdoor Science classroom. The Art room will grow in size and include space for a kiln. Shops will be reconfigured and modernized. Finally, the parking lot will be reconfigured to allow separation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic as well as a designated bus zone separate from parking and private vehicle traffic.<br />
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I've heard some concerns about the fact that this project utilizes portions of the existing school rather than being a brand new structure. Toledo was granted a total of $20 million from the state if we were willing to tax ourselves to provide $7 million to the project. The language of ESSB 6095 that grants Toledo $10 million is as follows:<br />
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"<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">(7)(a)
$10,000,000 of the appropriation in this section is provided solely for the
Toledo school district;</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">(b) The
Toledo school district must provide a local match equivalent to a minimum of
$7,000,000. The local match may consist of cash; furniture, finishes, and
equipment; or like-kind.</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">(c) If the
Toledo school district cannot demonstrate to the office of the superintendent
of public instruction that a local match pursuant to (b) of this subsection has
been secured by June 30, 2019, the appropriation in (a) of this subsection
shall lapse." (Sec. 5007)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The expectation of Rep. Richard DeBolt was that this money would be used to build a new school. What is proposed <u>is</u> a new school. It will be unlike the current school. Much of it will be new construction. It will be a new concept of Toledo High School. It will not look like the current high school. The Design Committee felt that utilizing portions of the building was a prudent way to address the project and utilize district assets and resources.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">During the bond campaign, I heard from many in our community that they "knew someone" who said we could build a new school for $200/square foot (or some other low cost). Based on that and a school that is 68,000 sf, they concluded that we should be able to build an entirely new school for $25 million. This was shared around the community and took on a life of its own. The problem with these estimates are:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Current construction costs are $346/sf</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Construction costs exclude soft costs such as permits, fees, consultant costs, architects, project managers and sales tax.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The people quoting costs have a vested interest in us thinking they can do the job inexpensively.</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: 15.3333px;">You may have read that a brand new school would cost in excess of $40 million. That's true. With current construction and soft costs along with a larger footprint, $40 million is an accurate estimate for a brand new school. Like those who thought that we were going to get a brand new school based on "someone they know's" cost estimates, some folks are worried that the district will ask for more money in order to complete the project. </span><span style="font-size: 15.3333px;">The district's message is and has always been, "We are going to build the very best school we can with the resources allocated to us." This means, we will build the best school we can for $27 million.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.3333px;">The Construction Committee will meet later this month to review the architect's progress. This is a smaller committee comprised of community members with construction experience and school staff. Dale Merten will again chair the committee. Their task will be to provide continuing input to the architects in order to be sure that the project is within budget and consistent with the vision of the Design Committee. In addition, this committee will review the design to be sure that it will serve students and staff well. In late June, the community will be invited to a meeting to review progress. Just before we go to bid in September, the community will be invited to see what is going out for bid. I encourage all to attend these meetings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.3333px;">The design is shaping up nicely and we're working hard to squeeze every benefit we can out of the project with the resources available. This is going to be a tremendous new school worthy of the tax dollars you've invested. If you'd like more information, I invite you to contact me directly.</span></div>
Chris Rusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15750265380887115294noreply@blogger.com