Public input tweaks Su Valley plans

TALKEETNA — Whether the new Su Valley Jr./Sr. High School will rise one story or two above the ashes of the old was one of the questions designers asked community, school staff and students at meetings here last week.

Energy efficiency, size of the building and its layout are all being tweaked as plans for the school jell.

Members of the Mat-Su Borough’s Building Design Committee came to the temporary Su Valley campus Thursday night to see the first draft versions of floorplans to rebuild the school and give the panel options for one- and two-story structures.

Architect Michael Carlson said the process is on schedule and the draft plans are presented so people can pick desirable elements from any of the designs, such as the location and shape of an indoor running track, or location and shape of a library.

The panel is helping architects draft a replacement for a 1971-vintage school that burned to the ground on June 5. The old campus, which had a series of design flaws, was being roofed for the third time when a wind-whipped fire started in the renovation area and quickly spread.

After two solid days of on-site meetings last week, architects will hunker down and by Oct. 30 bring back a refined building plan and a peek at proposed exterior design. The big day will be Nov. 13, when final draft of plans will be unveiled at a public meeting.

Thursday’s meeting focused on details, including whether the school should be one story or two and the efficiency of creating a heated concrete slab. Alternative energy sources were desired by some at the meeting, and Carlson said one plan for a woodburning boiler to back up the traditional boiler system is getting some serious study. Other ideas are not.

“The studies on solar panels in Alaska haven’t been positive,” he said in response to one question. Nobody has been yet able to wring light and heat out of an Alaska winter through solar, he said.

Questioners also pressed Borough Project Manager Bob Berhtold about the exact insurance reimbursement available for the building project. The cost of building a new school may be in the $12.5 million range.

“I know it sounds expensive, but we were doing the roof and got $5.5 million. This is smart,” Berhtold said.

Parent Jim Graupmann of Talkeetna, whose teenager completed high school at Colony, has a son who will be in high school in about a decade. An airline pilot who has viewed energy-efficient campuses overseas quizzed architects about smart energy technology. Graupmann was also interested in whether a one-story or two-story design is best.

“Which is most expandable?” he asked.

The 50,750-square-foot high school is being built to accommodate more than 200 students. The campus now has about 180 students.

New subdivisions and roads appear each spring and summer, and the addition of a new grocery store across the Parks Highway from the permanent campus may bring more residents. Many Talkeetna Community Council candidates listed growth issues as among their top concerns during this month’s elections.

Parent and school employee Deb Maynard, who is on the Building Design Committee, asked Graupmann whether the school should be designed for expansion or whether a new school would be required if the area grows.

That theme was touched upon last month by consultant BrainSPACES architect Amy Yurko, who said some “small school” elements parents and staff prize at Su Valley might be lost if the school grows too large.

BrainSPACES Planner Peter Brown said that a large portion of the area has to be on the first floor, such as the gymnasium and the library. A two-story structure, which planners say would be more energy efficient than a one-story, has the added benefit of allowing public uses downstairs so the upstairs classrooms can be sealed off a casual public access.

Su Valley Jr./Sr. High draws students from an area starting in Willow and ending in Trapper Creek, including students who live in the Hatcher Pass area reachable by school bus from the Parks Highway.

Contact John R. Moses at john.moses@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.