Building a new Berg Middle School

If a Sept. 13 bond election results in a 60-percent approval or greater, the Newton Community School District will have the opportunity to design, shape and build its first new facility on the same site as its previous new school.

While a 50-year-old school might sound young by Iowa standards, many innovations in construction and school design would give the district the chance to create a much more modern facility. The district hosted several forums over the winter where FRK Design of Des Moines gathered input from teachers, parents and various community leaders and other residents about components to include in a redesign of the school.

However, some of the design steps for the grades 5-8 school must wait until the district finds out exactly how much money is available for the project. Passage of a $26.9 million bond on Sept. 13, coupled with about $6 million in the district’s available SAVE funds, the district will use this money to buy bonds that must be paid off within 20 years, so it won’t clear until that phase exactly what the district can afford.

The basic plan is to begin new construction — as soon as the spring of 2017 — on an all-new structure that will basically wrap around the northeast side of the existing Berg building. The newest Berg Middle School gym will be the lone reused piece, so the new construction will begin at that gym at move northeast, into what is currently parking and athletic-field space.

Design will later determine if the softball field and running track will need to be moved from their current spots, but both will be retained.

There were many elements discussed in last year’s FRK planning forums, ranging from geothermal heating to width of hallways to locker placement to grade-level groupings. Sightlines, noise levels and total square footage were a few of hundreds of items discussed.

NCSD board member Josh Cantu, who is on the bond committee, said improving upon the energy efficiency in the rebuild would be a huge priority.

“While many design solutions can accommodate energy efficiency, this was also a topic of discussion and important to the design of any new building,” Cantu said. “These elements align very well with my highest priorities for our school district.”

Some concessions might need to be made in order to incorporate new elements or proximities and spacing, to keep the project within budget and to keep the design simple and modifiable in the future. For example, a space can easily be left for a multi-million-dollar performing arts space to be added at a later date, but any performance space and stage area in the initial rebuild might be basic and modest.

It isn’t clear yet if the final design would leave the grades 5-8 facility with three total gymnasiums, including the reuse of the newest Berg Middle School gym. None of the three initial proposed basic designs brought by FRK to an October 2015 forum had a third gym.

All FRK initial designs used a two-floor concept to save on roofing and other costs. FRK was hired to gather input from the Newton committee, incorporate that input into initial designs, then get feedback from the committee to revise the drawings.

The basic design must be further developed once the district knows how much bond money is available to cover construction costs. A bidding process will also be necessary.

Cantu outlined some of the basic priorities the committee has supplied to FRK:

• Student safety: Open hallways, classrooms, and locker areas to increase visibility of students at all times. Improved traffic flow during pickup and drop off times, access to the building through a central open area.

• Improving the learning environment for both students and teachers: Classroom size, collaboration spaces, technology-wired, ADA access throughout the entire building.

• Providing better space for extracurricular activities for the many athletic, arts, academic, and community needs.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com