Middle School nears completion
July 24, 2008
By Laura Geggel
Motion-sensored classroom lights among amenities
Twin Falls Middle School is flirting with completion.Snoqualmie Valley’s newest school passed a King County building inspection July 21, according to Clint Marsh, construction program manager for the school district.
The inspection covered the building’s life safety systems, including but not limited to the fire alarm and sprinklers, alarm system and ventilation.
Twin Falls must pass a second King County inspection within the next one or two months before it can obtain a Permanent Certificate of Occupancy.
Landscape and construction workers are completing the school’s final touches for the 574 students projected to attend Twin Falls this fall.
The most recent budget shows that the school has stayed well under contingency costs -costs that cover unforeseen expenses. The district set aside 2 percent of the total Twin Falls budget for contingency costs, but the school has only used 0.76 percent, or $140,543, of the contingency cost budget.
“It boils down to things the school district has added or things that got left out in the design,” said Marsh, adding that the architect does not collect a design fee for extra changes.
By the time the school is complete, Marsh predicted the contingency costs would still be less than 1 percent of the budget. The leftover money will be given to the Twin Falls Middle School equipment budget.
Money has certainly helped the new middle school become a more environmentally friendly building. All rooms are equipped with motion sensors that will switch on lights when a person enters. The sensors can also sense natural light, and will turn off lights if the room is too bright.
“I don’t think they have a school in the district like this,” said Marsh.
Dawn Frearson, a former science teacher at Snoqualmie Middle School, got a head start on unpacking her supplies in her new Twin Falls classroom. Frearson said she participated in the input process for the new school and, as a result, each science room now has a patio for outside experiments.
“One of the units I have is a force of motion unit,” Frearson said, using her ‘Mentos and Coca-Cola’ experiment as an example.
“The custodian (at SMS) was never happy when we did it inside,” Frearson said. “You just need space when you have 32 students in groups of four.”
The oldest part of Twin Falls, the track and field, lies behind it. Landscapers began planting the grass for the field in 2006.
“When you plant a field, if it doesn’t get two years of growth, it’ll get torn up when you play sports,” Marsh said.
Deep roots allow for a faster recovery, which bodes well for the Twin Falls field. Grass with deeper roots also helps prevent injury, as the grass is less likely to rip out of the ground and contribute to twisted ankles.
Grass isn’t the only plant around the school. About $750,000 worth of native vegetation circles Twin Falls, including firs, cedars, dogwoods and salal - a shrub with grape-like appendages.
“The big trees go up as the big foliage and the little stuff comes up as underbrush - that’s how you get your wildlife back in,” Marsh said.
The vegetation budget began at about $250,000, but the cost grew to fit regulations from the King County Critical Areas Ordinances and the support of the community. Neighbors of the school wanted the area to be elk-friendly before they gave their support, which is required under King County, Marsh said.
Inside the school, students will find about five computers in every classroom, in addition to three computer labs - one at the end of each wing. Like the other two middle schools, Twin Falls will have a video-editing lab for its technology class.
About half the classrooms will have active boards, which is “on par with the rest of our schools,” said District Director of Technology Jeff Hogan.
As more appliances are plugged in and desks are unloaded, more teachers are unpacking their wares.
“We’re basically done,” Marsh said. “We’re just wrapping up and getting out of here.”
Reporter Laura Geggel can be reached at 392-6434 x221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com
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