Board hears detailed update on new middle school design, abatement and pricing; architects outline schedule and resilience options

Project managers and the architect presented a multi-hour design and schedule update on the new middle school, reporting progress on design development, contractor pricing, hazardous-materials testing and site coordination with the city.

Mickey Bragg, project manager with OTAC, said the team has hired several consultants — a commissioning agent (Northwest Engineering), an envelope consultant (Stantec) and a hazardous‑materials designer/surveyor (PBS). He told the board that PBS’s survey of the existing middle school confirmed "it is full of hazardous materials," and that the team is now able to scope abatement work and refine cost estimates.

Bragg said the project is moving from design development into construction documents: a percent-DD (design development) set was to be completed the week of the meeting and a 90% set had been released to Pence (CMGC) contractors for early pricing. Two pricing streams are active: Pence, the selected CMGC, is collecting subcontractor pricing and a third-party estimator, DCW, is preparing an independent estimate. The team expected initial pricing results in about three weeks to reconcile costs against the project budget.

Early work authorization was discussed for summer startup activities (temporary power, site fencing, rock laydown and mobilization) to reduce disturbance to school operations later in the fall. Bragg said demolition will include modular buildings on site and the district’s northwest shed; abatement plans will be coordinated with those demolitions.

The architects (Opsis, represented by Ally Polser and the design team) reviewed key design decisions: the building is organized into north academic wings and south CTE/theater/athletic wings around a central commons with covered and open courtyards. The team described circulation features, neighborhood classroom groupings, garage-style roll-up doors for CTE labs, an elevator relocated to remain inside the secure zone during lockdown scenarios, and acoustic and sight-line improvements for gyms, band and theater spaces. The design retains heavy timber elements in the commons and large-volume spaces for band and choir.

On building systems and cost-saving choices, the team described a hybrid gas-and-electric HVAC strategy after evaluating multiple mechanical options and said a shift from more steel framing to predominantly wood framing (with lightweight concrete on the second level and concrete on gym areas) had produced substantial cost savings. The team reported savings from mechanical and structural decisions that together reduced estimated costs by several hundred thousand dollars to close to a million dollars in the design iteration.

Polser and the team also addressed sustainability and emergency planning. The architects told the board that the state’s public-building solar requirement (a 1.5% provision discussed during the presentation) will be incorporated and that the roof design includes south-facing slopes suitable for photovoltaic arrays. On emergency power, the architects said the project includes a generator sized for emergency lighting and essential systems but is not designed to operate the entire school day; the team discussed options for resilience planning, including providing connections to accept large portable generators if the district wants to support community sheltering in an emergency.

Contracting and community engagement details included a recent subcontractor outreach event attended by roughly 60 people, more than half from within Molalla, Canby, Hubbard and Woodburn (local-area contractors), and a planned page-turn review with district leadership before moving to final construction documents. The presenters said site-plan submittal to the city was planned for the week following the meeting and that permitting and final logistics planning for abatement and demolition were ongoing.

Board members asked detailed questions about vestibule glazing and security film, restroom layouts with full-height partitions, elevator placement in the secure zone, locker-room visibility, restroom distribution by neighborhood, HVAC rooftop units, roof slope for drainage and PV placement, and emergency‑power sizing and fueling options. The project team noted the generator provides emergency lighting and essential systems only and recommended a resilience plan (including potential rental or staged portable generator connections) for expanded community sheltering if the board wished to pursue that option.

No formal board vote on construction contracts or budget increases occurred during the meeting; the presentation served to update the board and to frame follow-up work on abatement scope, pricing reconciliation and permitting.