Gravette board reviews three options for high school classroom addition and required ICC 500 storm shelter

Build Architects on Tuesday night presented three possible locations for a classroom addition at Gravette High School and outlined how the district must meet the ICC 500 storm-shelter standard now that Arkansas has adopted the 2021 International Building Code.

Mike Spathe of Build Architects told the Gravette School District Board that the 2021 IBC adoption includes an ICC 500 requirement for educational occupancies with an occupant load of 50 or greater. "Why size a storm shelter just for 60 kids when it's attached to a building that would have 400 or 500 kids?" Spathe asked, arguing the shelter should serve the whole attached building where feasible.

Spathe described three siting options:

- Option 1: an addition at the far west end of the classroom wing. He said this is the simplest construction solution and presents the fewest utility conflicts but creates the longest travel distance from remote spaces such as the competition gym.

- Option 2: a front-of-school site that would require substantial fill, sidewalk and fire-line relocation and interior electrical service moves. That option could provide room for future classroom additions if the district invests in moving drainage and utilities now.

- Option 3: a courtyard location that gives the shortest average travel distance but raises complex utility conflicts, including roof drains, a storm sewer about 9 feet deep and a sanitary sewer roughly 12 feet deep.

Spathe said a five-classroom addition was likely the district's best balance of space and cost: "Five seem to be the magic number," he said, noting a five-classroom shelter addition could occupy roughly 7,000–8,000 square feet and be sized to hold several hundred people under ICC 500 occupancy assumptions.

The presentation covered mechanical and life-safety implications. Spathe said the shelter must have tornado-rated openings (windows and doors must be certified) and that mechanical ventilation and a generator will be required; peer review will not accept natural gas generators and prefers diesel on-site fuel storage. He noted that electrically operated storm shutters are not accepted and that heavy-duty mechanically operated shutters can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Board members and architects discussed travel distances, whether exterior travel up to 1,000 feet would comply with code, and the pros and cons of matching the addition’s finish to the existing curved classroom wing versus simpler straight geometry. Spathe said Crossland Construction visited the site and will provide preliminary cost estimates to help the district compare utility-relocation costs versus site-fill costs.

Superintendent Jeff Gravatt and staff said the materials and Crossland's cursory numbers will be shared with the board when available and that no final siting decision was requested at the meeting.

Next steps: architects will verify utility locations, provide preliminary cost information with Crossland Construction’s input, and return to the board with estimated budgets and options for further discussion.