Schematic design OK'd for school construction work

The Tamalpais Union High School District board has unanimously approved a schematic design for potential new construction at Redwood High School in Larkspur.

The trustees voted 4 to 0, with trustee Kevin Saavedra absent, at their Sept. 19 meeting to approve the schematic design, which comprises 15% to 20% of the full project design.

The construction is aimed at replacing aging buildings and giving students modernized and flexible indoor-outdoor spaces to learn, perform, gather and dine. It is estimated to cost $106 million and take 2 1/2 years to complete.

“We have a lot of programs for band, music and ceramics that are in portables that have been around since the inception of the programs,” Michael Woolard, the district's senior director of facilities, said in a presentation at the meeting.

“In addition to new buildings for music and ceramics, we would build a new kitchen and cafeteria and then repurpose the existing cafeteria to be a student commons,” Woolard said.

The new construction hinges on voter approval of a $517 million bond measure. Trustees are expected to decide this fall whether to place the bond measure on the March 5 ballot.

If the ballot placement goes forward, and if voters approve the bond measure by a 55% majority, the current advance schematic design work could save as much as $14 million or $15 million in cost escalation over time for the entire Redwood project, Woolard said.

“If the bond is approved in March, we could start digging by next summer,” Woolard said at the board meeting.

Trustees earlier this year also approved a schematic design for major construction at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley. That project, which would replace 100-year-old classroom buildings with a new science, technology, engineering, arts and math complex, also would be included in the $517 million bond measure if approved by voters.

The district's other high schools — Archie Williams, Tamiscal and San Andreas — also have modernization projects that would be covered by the bond.

The district's survey consultants, Godbe Research Inc., will conduct new polling of district voters starting Oct. 2, according to the district.

The board is expected to review the survey results before deciding whether to place the bond measure on the ballot. The deadline for the March 5 ballot is Dec. 8.

At the Sept. 19 board meeting, Aaron Jobson, project manager at QKA Architects, offered a presentation on the proposed design of the new Redwood buildings.

The buildings would feature glass walls, some of which would reveal views of Mt. Tam. Also, there would be covered walkways between buildings to allow for ease in moving from indoors to outdoors and around