School board approves schematic designs for high school, middle school additions; board delays final exterior selection

The Clear Creek Amana Community School District Board of Education voted to approve schematic design packages for additions and renovations to the district high school and middle school and to move the projects into the design-development phase while holding a subsequent decision on final exterior materials.

The board’s action covered floor plans, circulation and program adjacencies, and preliminary elevations for both buildings. The design team said the high school addition will include a larger band room, dedicated culinary and ag spaces, expanded industrial-technology classrooms, additional storage and a comprehensive special-needs suite; the middle school addition enlarges band and vocal rehearsal spaces, provides STEM and flexible classroom areas, and adds storage for instruments.

District facilities staff and the design team brought two exterior-material directions for the board to consider: (1) a precast concrete treatment (presented with a branded “clipper ship” motif) for the storm-shelter portions and a thin-brick finish on the industrial/tech wing; or (2) a more cost-conscious alternative using metal paneling on portions of the addition while retaining precast at the storm-shelter area. The design team said precast is heavier, requires more precise coordination with embedded utilities, and may limit later changes; metal panels are lighter and typically less costly, but provide a different, plainer aesthetic.

Board members and staff debated trade-offs between long-term appearance, maintainability and near-term budget flexibility. Several trustees said they preferred the precast option for the storm-shelter face and the “ship” branding as a campus marker, but requested clearer cost comparisons and sample brick panels or stained-brick mockups before committing to thin-brick versus metal panel on the other elevation. The board directed staff and the architects to return within about a week with additional visualizations and ballpark cost ranges for the metal-panel and brick/stain options; after that review the board will hold a follow-up discussion and vote on the final exterior treatment.

During the schematic presentation, the design team said the programming changes were influenced by multiple meetings with principals and staff and were intended to improve acoustic separation (especially between band and classrooms), increase industrial-technology lab capacity, and provide more flexible classroom/storage options for future use. The board approved the schematic packages and authorized design development to continue, with the caveat that final exterior materials and signage (including the possible ship logo) be returned to the board for a later approval.

Board members and staff also discussed practical issues raised during earlier site tours: potential future standalone facilities on adjacent parcels, the difficulty of matching older brick colors (staining was discussed as a contingency), and the construction coordination risk and cost implications of precast installations. The design team said photo-realistic renderings will be prepared in the next phase and that sample panels and more detailed cost ranges will be provided prior to the exterior finalization vote.

The board’s schematic approval allows the design team to begin engineering and detailed coordination work needed to produce construction documents for bidding and to schedule a design-development review in the coming months.

The board approved the schematic design motion in a formal vote at the meeting; the board also asked staff to arrange a short follow-up meeting to present metal-panel mockups and brick-panel comparisons and to bring back costs before the board makes the final exterior-material selection.