West Salem board hears schematic design, $28M referendum split for elementary and high‑school projects

Architects and district consultants presented schematic designs and cost estimates for an elementary gym addition and broad high‑school renovations during the West Salem School Board meeting.

The board was shown a concept for the elementary school that centers on a gym addition with support spaces and a 10‑foot corridor connection. The consultant described movable three‑tier bleachers with about 150 seats per side and said the new gym is intended chiefly for athletics and after‑hours events while the existing gym would remain available for school assemblies.

Gage, the district's cost estimator, said the current pre‑referendum budget split shows roughly $7.6 million for the elementary work and about $20.4 million for the high‑school portion, putting the combined package in the neighborhood of $28 million. "The pricing for the new construction is slightly higher than the last slide because we had to throw $40,000 to $50,000 in there for the steel and aluminum Canadian tariff," Gage said.

The architects outlined design choices intended to control cost and preserve program function: repurposing existing locker rooms to recover space for occupational and physical therapy rooms, locating new mechanical and storage spaces to take advantage of existing plumbing, and using some precast insulated panels on secondary facades to reduce brick‑matching costs. Designers also flagged a key code decision: installing fire suppression systems could avoid building firewall separations but would require analysis of water‑supply needs and additional costs; staff said they are pursuing a cost/benefit comparison.

Consultants said some options remain under study, including the size of project contingencies and scope tradeoffs in specialized spaces such as greenhouse placement and career‑technical classrooms. On the high‑school side, presenters described a complex set of "domino" moves — relocating programs, creating connected lab and classroom space for trades, and sizing fitness and spectator areas to balance daily school use with community access. The fitness area concept shown to the board was about 5,000 square feet.

Ryan Reber (district staff member) told the board the elementary package would likely go out for bid in July with initial high‑school site and early packages targeted in July and full bid packages in September. "We'll have another budget check for the elementary and another for the high school later this month," an ISG architect said, urging the board to offer feedback on site and program priorities.

Board members pressed on supervision, storage, and the footprint for welding, metals and finishing areas within the CTE spaces. Consultants noted the plan includes flexible options and that some interior adjustments will depend on final equipment lists and staffing needs.

A next step for the district is to refine design contingencies as the schematic work moves into design development, continue code analysis around fire separation versus suppression, and bring a revised budget check to the board before finalizing referendum language.