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District updates design guidelines, adds certification of compliance for design professionals
Summary
Staff presented Version 3 (Jan. 2025) of the district’s design guidelines, described a new certification of compliance for design professionals and said the document will remain a living resource with stakeholder review cycles.
Savannah‑Chatham County Capital Improvements Committee members on May 2025 reviewed a revised set of district design guidelines (version 3) and a new certification form that staff will require of design consultants, Dr. David Scott said.
Dr. Scott, who has been leading the design‑guidelines effort, described the document as a resource “for multiple audiences” — not a code book — and said it is intended to be usable by contractors, architects, district departments and school staff. He told the committee the guidelines will apply to new construction, additions and renovations and that staff expect design professionals to certify compliance with district requirements when they are retained.
The presentation listed recent changes: expanded sections for thermal and moisture protection (roofs) and communications systems, a new Division 32 area for exterior site and perimeter work (including fences and gates), and an updated approach to stakeholder input. Dr. Scott credited district staff, maintenance, procurement, campus police and retired staff member Annette Wynne for contributions to the current draft. He said the guidelines are “a living document” and staff will continue to refine them as projects are delivered.
Committee members pressed for broader and structured input from end users — teachers, arts and music staff, athletics and school leaders — and for a scheduled review cycle so lessons from completed projects feed back into the standards. Miss Grabowski and others urged that the board establish core philosophy statements in the front of the guidelines (life‑cycle cost, sustainability, neighborhood integration) and vote those principles so they guide discretionary design decisions.
Staff said they will convene stakeholder working groups and incorporate targeted in‑school feedback during site design phases; they also noted a procedural change to require certification from design firms that they reviewed and will follow the district guidelines. No board vote took place; staff said they will return with updated guideline sections and a proposed review schedule for board consideration.
