Board approves conceptual design for Reynolds (rental) School renovation; discussion on restrooms, generator and room sizes

The Monroe County School Board on July 22 approved conceptual design for the Reynolds School renovation project, clearing the way for schematic design work. The motion was moved by Mr. Dix, seconded by Dr. Woltanski and passed with no recorded no votes.

Facilities staff and the project architect presented a plan that retains the historic Reynolds School building’s exterior (shown in the presentation as the “blue” area) while replacing a deteriorated 1950s-era concrete addition with a new addition for maintenance and shop functions (shown in presentations as the “green” area). The designers said the concept places educational classrooms and public-facing offices in the historic building and locates maintenance workshops and larger storage in the new addition, with a covered connection between the two.

Architect John Hadley described the circulation and security approach: a secure main entry with card-reader doors and a vestibule, classrooms placed to the front and maintenance functions to the rear, and a parking layout moved slightly to save trees after community feedback. He said classrooms in the historic portion include a larger south classroom that can be divided with an operable partition, dedicated student restrooms and staff toilets, and an administrative/testing area.

Board members and staff raised several operational and design issues during the discussion: - Restroom labeling and accessibility: Board member Ms. Khan questioned labeling single-stall restrooms by gender. Pat Laffier (facilities staff member) said restroom labeling has been consistent across district buildings but he would follow the board’s direction; another speaker noted building-code interpretations vary by jurisdiction. The board discussed gender-neutral single-stall restrooms and whether to label them “boys/girls” or unisex. - Generator: A board member asked whether the building would include an on-site generator. Facilities staff and the architect said there is currently no plan for a generator. Pat Laffier clarified the district’s existing buildings are not designed as enhanced hurricane shelters, saying, “None of our school buildings are built to sustain life during a cat 5 storm.” Staff agreed to price a generator for the board’s consideration. - Office and room sizes: Several board members expressed concern that some proposed offices were large relative to needs; staff said some rooms accommodate multi-person teams or special functions (for example, the HVAC office houses three technicians and plan-review functions require larger plan rooms). The architect added that preserving historic load-bearing walls and window locations constrains how square footage can be redistributed in the existing building.

Pat Laffier said approval of the conceptual design will allow the project to move into schematic design and the team plans another community session after capital budget discussions. Staff emphasized that the board was not voting on final room dimensions or finishes; those details will be refined during schematic design.

Action recorded: the board approved the conceptual design and instructed staff to proceed to schematic design; staff will return to the board with more detailed plans and a recommended schedule for a community meeting and next steps.

Votes and immediate next steps: Motion by Mr. Dix; second by Dr. Woltanski; passed. Staff will price optional generator capacity and bring more detailed schematic documents for board review.

Clarifying details: presenters said the historic exterior will remain visible from the street though interior partitions and roofs will be updated; the maintenance functions are modeled on existing maintenance facilities but reduced in square footage compared with the current Bruce Hall site.