The San Benito High School Board Trustees authorized the acceptance of proposals for the construction of a campus aquatics complex at its March 28 meeting.
Interim Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum said, “we have a facility that is currently dilapidated and unused. We have hundreds, potentially thousands of students that are not learning to swim. We have safety concerns, we have just a myriad of issues regarding our two pools which really is one pool. We want the board to move forward with this RFQ (request for qualifications) for two purposes: one, we believe we want to open up the competitive biding for architectural services from a myriad of firms. We believe with this particular project to get out of the gate early there are quite a few high school districts and quite a few districts in the state of California already locked into their pool complexes. We also believe it will save us money in the long run.”
The project will feature of an Olympic-size competitive pool, a learn-to-swim pool, an equipment room, a changing room, a concession stand, and shower and locker rooms that will be used by students and community.
At the bond priorities special meeting held in January, San Benito Aquatics coach Jud Shutts approached the board about working with the city to make the pool available for use by the community.
“As far as the community goes, we’ve been talking with the city and the county. They are 100 percent in agreement that an aquatic center would be an attraction to the community, bringing in tourists. They also agreed to commit money as well as time and effort to the aquatic facility,” he said at the meeting, adding that the pool would be run by a nonprofit organization and would be profit-generating after it was built.
Shutts told BenitoLink that he will be meeting with the city and the county next week for a confirmation of their support and commitment of the project.
Citizens’ Oversight Committee Report
Citizens’ Oversight Committee Chair, Mary Damm, gave a presentation of the 2015-2016 annual report of bond expenditures. The report, which covers projects funded by the voter-approved Measure G, is the first the Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee has given since it was formed in 2014, after the $42.5-million measure passed.
The committee reviews the annual financial performance audits, required by Proposition 39, makes physical inspections of the school campus, reviews any deferred maintenance projects, prepares annual reports for the board and public, and reviews the districts efforts to maximize bond monies.
“We are not an advisory board to the district board,” Damm said. “We don’t determine how the funds are going to be spent. That was determined when the voters voted for the bond issue. We feel as a committee that the 2015 Facilities Master Plan has been utilized to strategically plan and prioritize bond design and constriction projects. The district has been successful in maximizing the Measure G funds by leveraging them as matching funds from state and federal grants. This is provided for co- efficiencies in design and construction of projects resulting in reduced mobilization costs, redundant work efforts, and gross construction cost,” she said. “The committee has found that the district is in full compliance with its responsibility as described by state law and Measure G funds have been used on board-approved projects goals and objectives.”
Measure G has been used to fund the replacement and upgrade of classrooms and labs, replace roofs, plumbing and electrical systems, add 21st-Century instructional and vocational technology, improve school safety and access for persons with disabilities, and has funded projects such as the construction of the CTE (career technical education) building and the VAPA (visual and performing arts) building.
The committee meetings are open to the public and their minutes can be viewed online on the district’s website.
The school is inviting the community on a tour this Saturday at 2 p.m. to take a look at the new facilities and learn more about future projects that have been funded by the Measure G and Measure U bonds.
Facilities Update
In other board meeting news, Tennenbaum and Joe Vela of AEDIS Architects gave an update on facilities and priorities for Measure U projects.
Approved by voters in 2016, the $60 million bond is funding major improvements to San Benito High School including upgrades to science classrooms and labs, repairs to old plumbing and outdated electrical systems, improvements to school access for students with disabilities, removal of asbestos, lead paint and other hazardous materials throughout campus buildings, additional classrooms to address overcrowding and continued growth, and to seismically retrofit buildings for earthquake safety.
Vela said this summer there will be upgrades the 100’s and 200’s buildings, except for the 180s and 190s. The district will be automating the rear entrance to the administration building and putting a public address system throughout the campus.
The SPED (special education) expansion and staff lounge will also happen this summer. SPED classrooms will be upgraded and modernized, as will restrooms. The staff lounge on main campus will include a kitchenette, a television, upgraded finishes, a new restroom and an exterior courtyard.
Another facilities update is scheduled for the April 18 board meeting. The update will include changes made to the athletics fields, ASB student union expansion and updates on the science building.
To watch a video of the meeting, click below.