After years in the making and several delays, the multipurpose building; science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) lab; and kindergarten classroom projects at Alexander Valley School (AVS) are finally taking shape.
The project is made possible with a bond that was approved a few years ago by Alexander Valley voters.
“Our voters of the valley supported the bond back in June of 2018. They voted to secure a $6 million bond for us,” said AVS Principal and Superintendent Matt Reno.
While the bond capacity in the community was closer to over $8 million, the AVS school board considered the project and felt that $6 million would be adequate for the different needs on campus, according to Reno.
Those needs include a multipurpose building, a STEAM lab and an additional kindergarten classroom.
“We had 50-year-old portables that were falling apart and so the voters approved (the project),” Reno said.
After the bond was approved, the district set out to plan the project and secured an architect, a construction management firm and conducted a state-required regulatory approval and design process. Those efforts took about a year to complete — then the Kincade Fire hit in October 2019 and it changed everything.
“We had 98 structures in our school boundary burn, it was the largest evacuation in Sonoma County history, and everything came to a standstill,” Reno said.
In January 2020, the district was able to get some bids for construction, but at the time construction and raw material costs were going through the roof.
“We had projected about $6 million for the project and we were getting bids anywhere from $7.1 all the way up to $8.5 million,” Reno said.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “We had to come together, and we looked at our lowest bid, which was through Carr’s Construction,” Reno said.
The construction team, architect and the school board were able to work to make sure the project would be on budget at $6 million through Carr’s Construction. At the time, they thought they wouldn’t be able to do the STEAM lab, however, word went out through the AVS parents’ club and private donations came in to help keep the STEAM portion of the project afloat.
The parents club donated $100,000 in reserve funds and there was also a matching grant of up to $250,000 in the community of some private funds.
Now, the bones of the new buildings are taking shape and construction is slated to be completed this May, with AVS sixth graders as the first class to promote out of the multipurpose building in June.
“We’re continually seeing the evolution of this amazing facility. Students have had a front row seat. They will go out there at recess and they’ll tell me, ‘Mr. Reno, look what they did today.’ It’s going to be great for kids for generations to come,” Reno said.
The multipurpose building will include gym facilities, a kitchen, a stage and pull-down seating for inclement weather days. While the building will be a much-needed resource for the school, Reno hopes it can also be a community resource and used as a resilience center in times of need.
“(With) that fire that hit in 2019, different fire departments used our school as a staging area. Part of what helped us secure some of the additional funds for the facility from private donors was to really look at the gym (multipurpose building) as a resiliency center for the community. Should we ever find ourselves in that situation (like a fire or other disaster) we now have a full kitchen, we have a large layout for a staging area for emergency types of crews … and a 52,000-gallon water storage tank, so in a lot of ways, this school is the heart of the valley,” Reno said.
The building will also be earthquake-proof and equipped with indoor fire sprinklers. If they so choose, the district will have the ability to add solar panels.
The multipurpose building, STEAM lab and connected kindergarten classroom will be centered around a courtyard. Reno said it will be a space for collaboration and outdoor learning.
Reno said this summer they hope to host an open house so community members can check out the new space.
