Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Q & A on construction

The Oracle: What construction projects are going on?

District Facilities Bond Manager Bob Golton: We have active construction at both Gunn and Paly. The construction contracts issued at each campus are about $25 million each. At Gunn, the new classroom buildings contract is $17 million and the new gym construction contract is $8 million.  We also have construction contracts at Jordan for $14 million, Terman for $9 million, Fairmeadow for $7 million and Ohlone for $7 million.

TO: What are the environmental impacts of the new projects?

Site Project Manager Victoria Cotter: The buildings were designed around the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Standards.

TO: What benefits will the new gym bring for students?

District Project Manager Alex Morrison:  The new gym seats the entire campus so if you want to have one assembly with everyone it will be in [the new gym]. Also there are glass paneled roll up doors on the sides of the dance studio and weight room at the back of the building. These open up in nice weather. It will be one of the safest buildings on campus in terms of earthquakes and fire.

TO: How are the projects progressing?

VC: So far on budget; however, the schedule has slipped a bit but we are working towards a timely completion.
AM: The gym will open in late 2012.
TO: How did the construction of the new gym come about?
BG: In 2008, people in the school district voted to fund the “Strong Schools Bond” program which has a total value of $378 million. The first project funded by that bond, in fact, was at Gunn and was the swimming pool. Besides the current projects at Gunn, we are planning to do other improvements, but the instructional program on the campus can only have a certain amount of construction and still function.  There will be more later.

TO: What is going to happen to the old gym?

BG: We are going to remodel it, just as soon as the new gym is finished.
AM: Some of the modifications will include replacement of the floor and removal one side of the bleachers.

TO: How is the noise level going to change as the construction continues?

AM: It’s going to be very noisy when we start putting up the metal decking which we put the roof on. It’ll be about the same level as a couple months back.

—Compiled by Lucy Oyer

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