Petaluma board hears 10–15 year facilities master plan; community urges climate action, shade and campus safety

Petaluma City Schools trustees received an update on a draft facilities master plan that catalogs building and site assessments across the district, outlines a 10‑ to 15‑year project menu and proposes a three‑tier framework (preserve, improve, create) to help prioritize projects for bond implementation.

The master‑plan consultants from DTA presented technical findings from room‑by‑room architectural inspections, engineering reviews of HVAC, electrical and civil systems, landscape assessments and community engagement. Richard Taronis, principal with DTA, said the plan is intended to be a comprehensive road map “to pursue additional funding opportunities,” while Ted Catlin, senior project manager, described the plan as a broad menu of projects the district can phase over time. The presentation estimated the recently passed bond measures total about $220,000,000 and that the full list of master‑plan needs could exceed $800,000,000.

The consultants said the plan will include per‑project preliminary budgets, a categorization of project types (infrastructure, modernization, new construction), potential funding sources and a suggested prioritization framework. They described three priority levels: Level 1 (preserve — life‑cycle and safety needs, “warm, safe, dry”), Level 2 (improve — upgrades that increase functionality) and Level 3 (create — new facilities such as…