At this point the district has $13 million in unallocated bond funds. In the next few months, after spring projects are bid out, this figure could go down substantially as the trends in construction costs change.

The biggest project underway in terms of cost is the Scouters Mountain Elementary School and Happy Valley Middle School construction, and the land purchases for new schools.

In the case of eminent domain, the district has put funds in an account with the court to cover up front costs of sellers. The unused portion of this money will eventually be returned to the district.

Most of the unused bond funds are now invested.

Through the end of January, we have already earned more than $10 million in interest. Over the
life of the projects, we anticipate that we will earn $21 million in interest.

Question from the Board: Will the recent downturn in interest rates impact our return on the bond?
Answer: Because we have invested monies 3-4 years out, likely this will not have much of an effect, even if interest rates continue to go down.

Question: Is there any scenario where we would not be paying arbitrage?
Answer: We have a certain amount in short term investments in case the construction moves ahead of schedule. If interest rates decrease further on these investments, there may be a decrease in arbitrage for these funds.

Question: Is the $21 million the most we can make without arbitrage?
Answer: It could be even more than that, however $21 million is still our best guess.

Summer 2007 projects completed: Garry Kryszak

Alder Creek:
Completed field lighting

Boilers replaced: summer of 2007
Milwaukie High, Sunnyside, Riverside, Campbell

Clackamas Elementary:
Concrete entry renovated, roof upgrade, windows replaced

Clackamas High Field Turf:
Field opened for use fall 2007

Mount Scott:
Siding and roof upgrades

Oregon Trail:
Fire alarm and heating control upgrades

Roof improvements: summer 2007
Milwaukie High, New Urban High School, Sojourner, Oregon Trail, Sunnyside, Riverside, and Milwaukie Elementary

Sunrise Middle School:
Flooring renovation in halls and commons
Roofing renovation

All our 2007 projects were completed and project. Overall, they were under budget.

2008 Projects Planned: Garry Kryszak

Ardenwald: We will replace the school with a new school on the historic site.

We are well beyond the design phase and ready to begin construction in late May or early June, with the new school ready to operate in fall 2009. The new design honors the entryway of the original building.

Question: Will students be able to enter the courtyard of the new school?
Answer: Yes.

Question: Do they gain or lose any sports fields?
Answer: Currently there are two fields, and in the end there will be two fields, although space will be tighter. We will lose the use of these fields during the construction period.

Bilquist: This project will get underway during spring break. It will be a complete remodel of Bilquist including new window glass, new paint, new flooring, etc. There will also be a fourclassroom addition that will free up space for a media center and computer lab. Skylights will be added, and we will add breakout areas for small group instruction. We will remodel the restrooms and provide added and upgraded parking. This project will be completed in fall 2008. Skanska construction will do the project. This project is projected to be on budget.

Clackamas Elementary
Last summer, roofing, window replacement, and stucco repair at the front entrance were completed. Many small projects are on the schedule for this summer, including heating improvements, downspout connections, classroom sinks, ventilation improvements in the main computer lab, lighting and electrical upgrades, clock system replacement, chalkboard and tack board replacement, painting, window coverings, door hardware upgrades, parking improvements, sidewalk replacements, play area paving, storage and shelving improvements, meeting room construction, and restroom renovation.

Scouters Mountain Elementary and Happy Valley Middle School
Despite the weather, construction is progressing according to schedule. Now you can see the steel going up for the 3-story middle school section. A lot of work is being accomplished and we are on schedule to have the elementary school ready to open this fall. The middle school will open in fall 2009.

“Scouters Mountain Elementary School #2” (new elementary at 172nd near the fire station)
This new school will be a two-story building to conserve materials, make a smaller footprint, and allow for more field space. This school will include an open media center. It will serve 550 students. This building will be an urban school that honors the pastoral setting where it will be created. A bioswale on this site will help cleanse the storm water runoff.

Question: Have we considered a partnership between the fire station and the school?
Answer: That seems likely, but not yet.

Linwood Elementary:
The remodel will touch the whole building, from flooring and ceilings to paint and renovations of the kitchen, the loading area, the office, and bathrooms. We will remodel and expand the office, and build a new bus drop. We will improve security at the school by structuring the building so students can move anywhere within the building with a secure environment. The project will include a four-classroom addition, a new gym, and a new media center. Construction will begin June 15. We don’t anticipate any disruption of school at this site. Linwood improvements will include weatherizing the windows, painting the interior and exterior of the building, renovating the 1968 heating system, replacing the 1980 intercom and 1968 clock system, replacing chalkboards and adding tack boards, replacing window coverings, replacing worn carpeting, upgrading worn door hardware, installing drainage in the playground, and paving the parking lot.

Milwaukie High School
The auditorium will get a two-story addition including a dance studio and an art studio. The entry will change to ground level. A new black box theater will be added. A community group has raised money for a memorial flag in the plaza. Three team rooms for girls will be added, plus a minor remodel of the girls locker room. We will also build a two-story structure near the gym including restrooms and a storage room. We have already replaced some roofing and two boilers. Emerick construction will begin work on this project as soon as school gets out.

Oak Grove Elementary
We have purchased some property to allow for a new bus exit on Courtney. This road will be gated, with no public access, for buses only. It will improve traffic safety.

Question: What is the cost for the road and sidewalk project?
Answer: About $125,000.

“Verne A. Duncan Elementary School”: New Elementary on 172nd near Highway 212
The new school will be located near the future Rock Creek Blvd. This will be a two story elementary serving 550 students. It will have a larger than average kitchen that will serve as a base kitchen for schools in the region. It also has a gymnasium and covered play area. A north/south road will divide this property from the adjacent middle school campus.

We will bid this project in May to begin work in July. We will begin work on the middle school in the fall.

All three elementaries open in the fall of 2009. The new middle school on this site will open in fall 2010. A county park will be developed adjacent to the new middle school.

At the middle school, bus drop off will be in the front, with parent drop off along the side.

The middle school is being designed for future expansion to a high school. In 2010, this project will not be fully complete, in terms of the adjacent park or the possibility that this will eventually become a high school. We may not see that happen for a decade.

We hope that one of the fields will be an all weather field built in conjunction with the parks department. That would ultimately mean that we’d have two all-weather fields on the east side of the district, and three on the west side of the district.

Question: Does the park take longer to build because it is funded by systems development charges?
Answer: That is correct. It will be funded as growth occurs.

Both of these schools will be accessed from 172nd. 172nd will be under construction as we build the school.

Putnam High School
This is our most complex project. We will touch every part of this building and it will take about one and a half years to complete. We will move the offices and counseling area, remodel and expand the kitchen, and build a new expanded commons. The construction will be underway in part while school is in session.

Upgrades at Putnam include replacement of worn chalkboards and tack boards, countertop replacements in classrooms, interior painting, replacement of the original 1963 corridor lockers, replacing wrestling room wall padding, replacing worn flooring throughout the building, sanding and sealing the upper gym floor, replacing obsolete door hardware, repairs to the stadium and bleachers, renovation of the front courtyard, improvements to the central courtyard, drilling a well for field irrigation, bathroom renovations throughout the building, renovation of six science rooms, library upgrades and renovations, exterior painting, window upgrades, updating heating and cooling controls in the career center, heating control renovation, heating and ventilation improvements for the wrestling room, drinking fountain replacements throughout, reinsulation of piping, replacement of field lights and poles, exterior lighting upgrade, and replacement of electrical panels.

Rowe Middle School
The district will change bus access and greatly improve parent drop-off, parking and queuing. We will add space to enlarge the gym with enough seating for the whole student body and add a running track. We will add a new music room for band and choir. An elevator will provide barrier-free access to the upper gym. We will expand the lobby, and add fire sprinklers to the entire building. Currently this project remains on budget.

We may delay renovation of the kitchen until the project progresses to see if we can provide
something better.

Spring Mountain
At this site we will upgrade ventilation controls, improve acoustics in the library, gym and cafeteria, and cover the concrete stairs with rubber tread material.

Sunnyside:
At this site we have already renovated boilers, renovated heating controls, and replaced some roofing. Next summer, we will do siding replacement, some window replacement, upgrade the electrical system in the library and computer rooms, replace the intercom and clock system, replace worn chalk boards and tack boards, paint the interior, replace worn floor covering, sand and seal the gym floor, renovate bathroom fixtures, upgrade and repair exterior door hardware, pave play areas, and install drainage in the play field.

Milwaukie High & Putnam High Athletic Field Upgrades
Improvements at these schools will include 8-lane tracks, all weather turf fields, improved lighting, and an improved softball field at Putnam.

We anticipate that by the third week of the fall season, both fields will be ready for use. We have worked to schedule away games the first two weeks of school to allow these projects to be completed.

Question: Is the new lighting at MHS going to help the light spillage issue?
Answer: The light spill will definitely be less than it is now. There is some resistance to the height of the poles, but the poles need to be higher to reduce the amount of the light spillage.

Green School Concepts: Garry Kryszak

The North Clackamas School District is using a number of green building design concepts as we construct four new schools.

We are working to create sustainable sites by controlling erosion and sedimentation, preserving wetlands and trees, creating bioswales to filter storm water, and reducing light pollution through use of shielded fixtures.

We are improving water efficiency through use of computerized irrigation controls, low-flow fixtures, and low flow flush toilets, using silica sand as the infill component of athletic fields, and installing all weather turf fields at high use sites for water conservation

We are increasing energy efficiency and improving air quality by using environmentally sound coolants, using more energy-efficient boilers and ventilation units, and using natural lighting in hallways and classrooms.

We are working to use green materials and resources, including reference for ceramic tile, ceiling tile, and wall tiles with pre-consumer recycled content, and use of track resurfacing and artificial turn that utilizes recycled materials. We have a preference for building materials that come from within 100 to 500 miles from the site.

We are improving indoor environmental quality by using low-emitting materials in paints, carpets, adhesives, and sealants, by increasing ventilation effectiveness, and by monitoring carbon dioxide in our buildings.

Status Report on Land Acquisition: Ron Naso

The bond allowed the purchase of 80-100 acres of property for six new schools.

This includes 40 acres between 162nd and 172nd near Highway 212, composed of ten land parcels. We have completed negotiations with 7 of these property owners. We are paying $270,000 per acre plus some premiums based on the value of the improvements on those sites. We will start moving ground in April and May at this site. Likely one of the remaining three properties will be resolved through mediation. The remaining two will be resolved through the formal condemnation process.

Considering the property near the fire station, we are dealing with three properties under condemnation. We are working through mediation with those three landowners. When all is said and done, after a road is installed, we may end up with a piece of excess property we can later sell.

Across 172nd north of Sunnyside, Vogel Road moves into the Gresham-Barlow district. We have identified 3 land parcels there totaling about 8 acres. We will lease the property back to the former owners until we are ready to build on that land under a future bond, which is at least six to eight years out.

We have identified a second site for a future school, 8 acres of property south of 212 near Carver. We are discussing possible purchase with the current owner. Additional property was also purchased to add the middle school to the Happy Valley site. The property the district purchased adjacent to Rowe cannot be used for parking, so in all likelihood that home will be sold.

We are on schedule. We are paying more than we’d like to, but less than some predictions. The most painful part of the land acquisition process is that we underestimated what we will have to pay for the installation of new roads. The total cost of the land should be within what we’ve allocated for land purchase and improvements.

Question: What happened with the property at Rowe?
Answer: The City of Milwaukie has stringent parking requirements for schools. After input from the neighborhood, we decided to go with head-in parking which is more space efficient. A workable compromise has been reached, and as a result, we will not have to improve Shell Lane, saving costs and pleasing the neighbors.

School Naming Update: Joe Krumm

The new school naming committee opened up the opportunity for the community to nominate names for four sites.

We received 104 nominations. The committee of 12 has narrowed the list down to 15 names worthy of further consideration.

We will now proceed with the process of assessing the existence of the geographic features mentioned. At this point, there is interest the community is to name the first new middle school Happy Valley Middle School.

At Site B, six names have been put forward. Scouters Mountain is one name that has a lot of support.

At Site C, Lewis & Clark was the first name to surface, a name proposed by a fourth grade student on the school naming committee.

At site D, several of the same choices surfaced.

Overall, there seems a lot of interest in Rock Creek, Verne Duncan, Scouter’s Mountain, Monroe Sweetland, Jack Westfall, and Trillium Creek.

The group has decided against hyphenated names.

Question: What happens with the school name if the middle school becomes a high school?
Answer: The group discussed that the name they are choosing is for the middle school. The group did discuss that the Rock Creek name could also stand if the site eventually becomes a high school.

Question: When will the committee’s recommended names come to the Board?
Answer: This would come to the School Board at the two April meetings.

An invitation to the Bilquist ground breaking:
March 18 at 2 p.m. at the school.
The Citizen Oversight Committee is invited.

Question and Answer: Ron Naso and Staff

Question: What is the status of the transportation site?
Answer: There are some funds in the bond proposal to deal with this issue. Our current transportation center on the Alder Creek Middle School site is overrun. The district is in search of a different site. We would prefer to put all buses on the same site. The big challenge is finding 8 acres of property that will fit the requirements of a bus garage that is zoned industrial. We are prepared, as soon as we locate something, to look at how we can finance it. The big
problem is that there is a 70/30 cost split with the state. Assistant Superintendent Ron Stewart is working with real estate people to locate possible properties. This is not going well because it is difficult to locate a site that meets specifications. We want to move the transportation site as desperately as some neighbors wish us to move.

Question: What’s up with Wichita?
Answer: Our current plan is to cease using Wichita as a neighborhood school site in fall 2009. Matt Utterback is meeting with a Boundary Committee to put forth recommendations to put forth a plan for the east side and Milwaukie. Once we see what the new boundaries are, we will put out a request for proposals for future use of that site. It is in the school district’s interest not to have to continue to maintain the site. The best option would be to have a public agency that wants to use the site and keep it in public use.

We have met with the Wichita community. They have accepted the reality that Wichita will not continue, as enrollment projections continue to drop to 109 students.

Question: When will the boundary committee work be done?
Answer: the first recommendation will come to the board this spring. Thorough explanations of this are provided on the district boundary web site. In the fall, every impacted school will have a meeting night to review and comment on the proposal.

Question: Are the promised items on tonight’s update the same as the original list of what was promised to voters?
Answer: To the best of our knowledge, the only changes made are additions to what was planned. At Milwaukie we decided to finish the top level of the performing arts center. At Linwood, we decided to add four classrooms. This is possible through funding from energy credits and the state building fund, not bond funds.

Question: What was the outcome of the community forums?
Answer: 376 people attended the three public forums. One of the biggest common ground issues raised was developing student character. Part of the challenge is balancing public views framed by the past with the needs of the future.

Next meeting: May 21 @ 6:30 p.m. in the Board Room