With more than $2 billion in repairs needed for West Virginia schools, careful thought is given when deciding whether to renovate, repurpose or replace educational facilities. For both new and existing schools, modern safety and technological features are top priority.
By Samantha Cart
Every December, the School Building Authority of West Virginia (SBA) meets to decide which of the 55 school systems in the Mountain State will receive funding to build new facilities and improve existing structures. Without fail, there are always more requests than available funds, and there is currently a combined $2 billion worth of facility needs statewide. However, the SBA can only provide $40-$50 million annually to address these needs, which makes the extenuating grant award process—the process through which the funds are distributed—extremely competitive and gives priority to projects that address as many of the West Virginia State Code evaluation criteria as possible.
Prioritizing Infrastructure Needs
Every decade, county school districts are required to complete a 10-Year Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan (CEFP). During this process, county administrators work with the public, local stakeholders and state officials to evaluate existing facilities and educational delivery plans in order to develop a revised plan that translates educational needs into a prioritized list of facility needs. Every year, project proposals are submitted to the SBA from the CEFP findings for funding consideration, and each year, the SBA funds approximately $1 million in needs grants and Major Improvement Project grants.
According to Ben Ashley, the SBA’s assistant director of architectural services, the authority’s staff visits and evaluates each project based on a list of criteria set forth by the West Virginia State Code, including health and safety, curricular improvement, education innovations, adequate space, preventative maintenance and travel time. The staff then gives prioritized recommendations to the SBA and votes to approve and fund projects within their budget.
Adam Krason, a principal and architect at ZMM Architects & Engineers, says many West Virginia schools were built just after World War II and have not undergone significant renovation since. ZMM deals in many renovation projects in the Mountain State, including improvements or additions to existing educational facilities. These projects often involve replacing outdated mechanical and electrical building systems or complete renovations.
“In many cases, the schools we work on were built for the grandparents or great-grandparents of the students currently attending,” says Krason. “These schools typically require new mechanical and electrical systems, roof replacements, new windows and exterior doors, new ceilings and lighting and automatic fire suppression. When these problems—mainly water infiltration problems—are not addressed in a timely manner, the damage is often compounded, resulting in harm to the building structure as well as interior and exterior finishes. Water damage can also lead to mold problems, which, when combined with the lack of outdoor air—now a requirement in educational facilities—can lead to increased absences and decreased academic performance.”
Only a representative of the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, the West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management (BRIM) or a high-level school administrator can deem a building unfit for occupancy. If a licensed structural engineer’s analysis deems a building unfit, it is the responsibility of the state board or local board of education to determine whether or not they wish to continue operations or remove the students and staff from the facility. A new school building is needed when the cost of bringing the facility up to current educational standards and the fire marshal, BRIM and Americans with Disabilities Act requirements exceed 65 percent of the cost of building a new school.
Healthier, Safer, Tech-Savvy Schools
West Virginia companies like ZMM and Chapman Technical Group are contracted to renovate and rebuild many of the Mountain State’s schools. These renovations range from ensuring healthy and safe education environments to upgrading classrooms for a high-tech learning experience.
“In the past year, ZMM worked with Mercer County Schools to replace the HVAC system at Glenwood School,” says Krason. “The project involved cleaning the ductwork to improve air quality and replacing the air handling units and controls to increase the comfort of the students, faculty and staff. At the same time, we have also been working on the Explorer Academy for Cabell County Schools. This is the renovation of the former Beverly Hills Middle School into a school that is focused around an expeditionary learning model. This project involved not only replacing building systems but addressing changes to the building to accommodate both new technology as well as a new model for curriculum delivery.”
Updated safety and technological needs are a high priority for the SBA. In 2009, the West Virginia Legislature passed the School Access Safety Act, which directed the SBA to ensure every school in the state maintain a safe and secure environment by controlling and monitoring access, introducing safety design features and collaborating with local emergency services agencies.
“The Legislature allocated funds to be distributed by the SBA to all counties to improve site security, building security and communication in all West Virginia K-12 schools,” says Ashley. “This program was completed in 2012, and since that time, the safety design inclusions on new or renovated schools have only improved. We are extremely proud that West Virginia was one of the first states to complete a safety program like this, and we are confident West Virginia schools are some of the safest in the country.”
Tommy Cloer, a project architect for Chapman Technical Group, says the use of wireless Internet on all devices inside the school is one of the most common technological features he addresses with school building projects. “Keeping up with the requirements of rapidly changing technology in terms of hardware, software and delivery methods such as wired and wireless capabilities is a priority for teachers and students,” he says. Other common additions to both new and existing schools include touch-screen smart boards with built-in projectors and interior and exterior camera systems.
“Student and teacher safety is a major priority in today’s schools,” says Cloer. “Most modern schools have the basics such as fire alarms and sprinkler systems, but along with cameras, we are also installing access control systems that only allow access into the building if you have been issued a key fob or card that can be swiped to release the locks.”
Giving New Life to Old Structures
While much consideration is given to the building and renovation of educational facilities, the consolidation and construction of new facilities leaves the state with several empty school buildings, many of which are repurposed or renovated for adaptive reuse.
“Whether a significant increase in population in an area combines with a lack of space for additions and renovations at an existing facility or a drop in population leads to the consolidation of two schools, sometimes it is more logical to build new,” says Cloer. When this happens, consulting companies like ZMM and Chapman are sometimes able to repurpose otherwise useless facilities with the proper support and funding. Cloer adds that many old school buildings in West Virginia were constructed from excellent materials with good workmanship, and while they may no longer function as modern educational facilities, they may work perfectly for another use.
According to Krason, repurposing old schools is a great idea. “From a sustainability perspective, there is a significant amount of embedded energy in the materials used to construct the buildings, and the infrastructure is in place to support them,” he says. “There is also the cultural and heritage element as well. It is important to preserve these facilities if possible.”
ZMM has repurposed several buildings in the state. The old Huntington East High School is now the Cabell County Board of Education office and the former Cox Landing Middle School has become a transportation facility for Cabell County Schools. In 2013, the firm completed the conversion of the medical examiner’s office in South Charleston, formerly Kyle Elementary School, into the West Virginia State Police Information Services Center. “We took the wide center corridors and converted them into useable space, and then we developed two corridors that are more appropriate for an office environment and created administrative space around the perimeter of the second level,” says Krason. “This is probably the most interesting example of repurposing, and you would no longer recognize the building as a school.”
Buildings will be saved and repurposed when they can be, but at the end of the day, the priority is the health and welfare of West Virginia’s students, faculty and staff. As the Legislature and the SBA work to fund necessary projects, companies like ZMM and Chapman Technical Group work to preserve the heritage of longstanding West Virginia structures. West Virginians take great pride in their history and allegiance to preserving tradition, and education is an area that must be continually propelled into the 21st century.
