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Why does Seattle Public Schools solicit community
input on Design?
Seattle Public Schools implements a school design process which
involves the participation of school faculty, school staff,
architects, district staff, parents, community, business people and
in some cases, students. The design team works with the architects
to develop student centered and personalized spaces. Each design
team member has the opportunity to provide input representing their
views and their constituencies. This process ensures that the final
design has provided for a wide range of input and scrutiny to
address needs and improve quality. By using this process Seattle
Public Schools can be confident that if a design idea is either
accepted or rejected, that it has undergone a thorough critical
review process. By soliciting various opinions and opposing
thoughts, better designs are produced which draw on the positive
aspects of diverse input.
Other community input sessions are required for activities such
as master use permit hearings, environmental impact hearings,
departure hearings, and in some cases joint use agreements with the
City of Seattle Parks and Recreation department.
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How has Seattle Public Schools involved the
community in the design?
Seattle Public Schools convened a School Design Team (SDT) in
early 2006 which included Hamilton administration, faculty,
parents, neighbors, and neighborhood representatives such as the
chair of the community group-- The Friends of Wallingford
Playfield. Through a series of workshops and interviews with the
SDT, the design concepts were developed and refined. Additionally,
evening and weekend meetings, open houses, and work sessions have
been held to gather input on bus loading and the coordinated design
of improvements to the school and the playfield.
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Is the design complete?
Yes - the final design has been completed and is currently being
advertised for construction bids. Construction bids are due this
spring, and construction work will begin in July, after Hamilton
students and staff move to the schools' interim site at
Lincoln.
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Is Seattle Public Schools proceeding with bidding
the school even though City permits aren't final?
Yes - the project is currently being advertised for construction
bids. It is typical for Seattle Public Schools to advertise
construction projects for bid prior to receiving permits. Gaining
permits is a lengthy process that requires multiple submittals.
Seattle Public Schools and our architects work closely with the
City throughout the design process to ensure that the project is
very close to permit ready prior to the initial permit
application.
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Why has Seattle Public Schools had cost overruns on
projects like Garfield - is it because Seattle Public Schools is
bidding projects that aren't complete or don't have permits?
No - changes to budgets like that required for the Garfield
renovation project were the results of a period of unusually high
construction cost escalation (inflation). The rate of cost
escalation on construction projects has been at an unprecedented
level, and is a major national issue. Between the time the Garfield
budget was originally established in the planning for the BEX II
levy, and when the project bids were received, construction costs
were increasing at a rate of 10-12% per year, requiring that the
overall project budget be adjusted to reflect the changing market
conditions.
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Why does Seattle Public Schools say moving the
gymnasium to the west side of the school would cost $4-8 million
dollars?
A redesign of the magnitude of relocating the gymnasium would
require significant additional design and would expose Seattle
Public Schools to millions of dollars of potential cost inflation
risk, so this alternative is not being considered. It would take
several months to develop the design to a bid-ready document, and
it has been Seattle Public Schools' experience that pursuing bids
in the summer season leads to significant bid inflation. It is
estimated that the Hamilton project would cost $3-6 million more to
construct if delayed beyond the current bidding season.
Additionally, there would be significant additional costs for
professional services for the redesign and additional permitting
reviews.
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Why is Seattle Public Schools not building a
parking garage?
After appeals to the Director of the Department of Planning and
Development's decision on Seattle Public Schools' Land Use
Application, a City of Seattle hearing examiner ruled that Seattle
Public Schools could not build a parking garage. The examiner ruled
that Seattle Public Schools could not build a structure for parking
that exceeded the lot coverage (the area of land covered by
building) permitted by code.
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Didn't the hearing examiner's decision mean Seattle
Public Schools couldn't build a gym or playground?
No - as a result of the decision, Seattle Public Schools was led
to abandon the proposed property line adjustment and to redesign
the school within the existing property boundary. As a result, many
concepts originally proposed by community members last year were
adopted by Seattle Public Schools for the final design, including
reducing the size of the lobby and relocating the bleachers and gym
store room inside the full-size gym. The decision also meant
Seattle Public Schools is not allowed to build a parking garage,
but this does not affect our ability to build an elevated
playground.
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Why is Seattle Public Schools removing or
demolishing portions of Wallingford Playfield?
No changes to the open grass playfield, children's playground,
or tennis courts of Wallingford Playfield are proposed as part of
the Hamilton renovation. The park property north of the school,
including a 27' wide strip of the existing asphalt school
playground, the retaining wall and fence, and the sloping path and
gardens at the south edge of Wallingford playfield, may be modified
on behalf of the Parks Department. An ongoing public process
including the Parks Department, Seattle Public Schools, and
community members will determine the design of this area.
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Why is Seattle Public Schools not installing a
ground source heat pump?
An earlier design for the Hamilton renovation included a
proposal to install wells for a ground source heat pump system in
the open grass field at Wallingford playfield. However, the cost of
the installation of the well field outweighed the economic return
of reduced fuel costs and Seattle Public Schools is no longer
pursuing this proposal.
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Why is Seattle Public Schools building a full-size
high school gym for a middle school?
Middle school league games are played on a high-school size
court - the new Hamilton gym will allow the Hamilton teams to play
home games in their own gym. Additionally, the full-size gym is
more useful for outside of school hours' use for community use by
recreation leagues and other community activities.
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Why does the new gym look so different from the
existing school? Why doesn't it look more like other buildings in
Wallingford?
The Hamilton building is an historic landmark, subject to design
review and acceptance by Seattle's Land- marks Preservation Board.
Additions to landmark buildings are required to contrast with and
complement the existing building, to make a clear delineation
between original and modern construction. The colors and materials
of the new gym complement the original construction, but the form
and design are a clear contrast. The final design has been reviewed
and accepted by the Landmarks Preservation Board.
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Why doesn't Seattle Public Schools lower the
gym?
There is a Qwest (utility) duct running across the school
property that contains a large number of wire and fiber optic
communication transmission lines. While Qwest has agreed that
Seattle Public Schools can build the gymnasium over the top of this
duct, the gym cannot be lowered to the first floor level because
the duct is buried close to the surface of the existing
playground.
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There are city codes that protect views from parks
and protect parks from shading - but doesn't the new Hamilton gym
affect both?
The Director of the Department of Planning and Development ruled
that view and shade impacts from construction of the new gym were
minor, and the hearing examiner agreed with the Director's ruling.
The new gym building will certainly be visible from the playfield,
and may impact some views from some areas, but the final design
moves the gym back to the existing property line, well back from
the existing fence between the school yard and the playfield.
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Is the (sunken) entry well to the gym safe? Won't
this be an unmonitored spot?
This area will be easily monitored because the street side of
the entry to the gym will have a sloped edge planted with low
plants - the area will be clearly visible from the street.
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Is it safe to have the ADA emergency exit from the
gym join the primary exit outside of the gym?
Seattle Public Schools is committed to building facilities that
are safe for students and the public. The gym design includes
multiple accessible routes that exit immediately outside the
building. We are researching these exit routes with the City to
confirm if any modifications need to be made to the design where
two routes meet outside of the building.
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Why is the play yard elevated, even though Seattle
Public Schools is no longer building a parking garage?
The elevated playground is an integral part of the building
design, with all of the indoor-outdoor circulation from the
building coming out of the student commons at the second floor on
the north side of the building. The Hamilton renovation will raise
the school's playground to the level of the second floor of the
building, nearly level with the grass field at Wallingford
playfield. An elevated playfield is not an unusual solution to
Seattle's steep and varied topography, and the elevated playfield
at Hamilton will serve the interests of students at the school for
many years to come. We will make every effort to limit the cost and
environmental impacts of the earthwork, and is exploring options of
using soils excavated from other district sites for the fill at
this location.
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How will the community access the playground? Is
there an accessible entrance?
On district property, the school yard can be accessed through
the gymnasium lobby, which includes an accessible route. Because it
is unclear what the Parks Department design for the interface
between the school and the park will be, our final design does not
include a direct connection from the school yard to the playfield.
However, if the Parks Department's final design for the interface
includes a direct connection from the school yard to the play
field, the community will be able to pass freely from the playfield
to the school yard - and that connection would be
ADA-accessible.
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Is the elevated playground safe? Can it be
monitored by police and accessed by emergency services?
The elevated playground is more easily monitored during the day
than other solutions like lowering the play yard below the second
floor entry. For times outside of school hours, we will install
motion-activated lights and cameras which are monitored by the
district's 24-hour security forces. If the Parks Department's final
design for the interface between the school yard and the playfield
includes a direct connection, then the yard will also be readily
visible from the playfield and beyond. The area is readily
accessible by emergency services through the lobby, and depending
on the final Parks design may also be easily accessed from the
playfield.
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What is taught at Hamilton?
Hamilton International Middle School (HIMS) strives for academic
excellence while integrating a global perspective throughout the
curriculum. Hamilton offers a focus on world languages, including a
three year Spanish and Japanese program. A Spanish immersion
program for advanced Spanish speakers began in fall 2007 and is
available for sixth through eighth grades. Sixth grade Japanese
immersion is offered effective fall 2007, as well.
Students at Hamilton International Middle School have a full day
studying Math, Science (everyday, all three years), Language Arts
and Social Studies (taught in a "block"), a World Language (Spanish
or Japanese), International Arts (one semester each year), and
Physical Education (one semester each year). Instrumental music is
offered as part of the extended day program.
The Spectrum program for highly capable students is offered in
language arts and social studies. Honors classes are offered in
math. HIMS has classrooms for English Language Learners (ELL) and
offers both inclusion and self-contained special education
classes.
Hamilton's vision is that all students will attain the skills
and knowledge needed to succeed and contribute in a global society.
The school administration welcomes questions about the school's
programs, and can be reached at (206) 252-5810.
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Will Hamilton teach ethics?
An ethics course is not taught as a specific subject at
Hamilton, but the concept is embedded in the social studies
curriculum and other subject areas especially when topics such as
justice, democracy, equality and equity are discussed and studied.
Ethical behavior is something that all teachers stress and model so
that the Hamilton learning environment is safe and positive for
students. Our hope is that students will benefit from the
instruction related to ethics and that they will become
responsible, productive and caring adults as a result. The school
administration welcomes questions about the school's programs, and
can be reached at (206) 252-5810.
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Why are the classrooms organized in clusters in the
new design?
Hamilton has chosen the small learning community approach or
cluster configuration for the new design. In the past the rule of
thumb was that elementary teachers taught the whole child in
elementary schools and in secondary schools the teachers taught the
subject. Small learning communities or clusters provide
opportunities to change that paradigm by having middle school
teachers work in teams with small groups of students in a small
learning community. One goal of this approach is to create
personalizing environments where students are treated as
individuals, where they are known by the teachers and where
instruction can be better tailored to meet individual needs.
Small learning communities or clusters create a sheltered
environment for students to make the transition from elementary to
middle school. It also provides opportunities for project-based
learning, collaboration, flexible schedules, team teaching and
independent projects and study. In addition, it provides space for
individual and group work. Students are encouraged to identify
questions and seek out answers using the scientific method,
observation, study, research and/or by interacting with experts,
original documents, artifacts or other people. Overall it
encourages students to take an active rather than a passive role in
their own education.
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Won't an emergency generator facing Woodlawn make a
lot of noise?
The generator is only intended to be used in emergency power
outages to keep safety equipment operating and to protect sensitive
equipment, and will be used only occasionally and when necessary.
The emergency generator as designed is housed inside a concrete
room which will limit the amount of noise pollution from the
generator's operation.
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Will Seattle Public Schools meet noise ordinances
during construction? Will there be exceptions or exemptions?
Per the Department of Planning and Development's (DPD) land use
decision, the permit for the work will direct the contractor to
limit construction activities to weekdays between 7am and 6pm. Some
special circumstances may require extended working hours, but these
exceptions must be authorized in advance by DPD.
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Why isn't Seattle Public Schools using
energy-saving double pane windows instead of the old single-pane
windows?
Seattle Public Schools and other school districts have found
that installing replica double pane windows in historic buildings
is significantly more expensive than refitting existing windows,
with costs that far outweigh the potential savings of installation
and operation. Unlike a residence, the difference in energy use
between single and double pane windows in a school building is
minor, less than a ten percent difference - this is mostly because
a lot of outside air is required inside the building to provide
fresh air to the students and staff inside the building. Also
unlike a private home, the landmark Hamilton windows would have to
be replaced with custom-made individual-pane windows divided by
wood mullions, which makes the replacement windows prohibitively
expensive.
