Thursday, July 28, 2016

Project Update - Design/Development Plans Continue to Take Shape

At at special meeting, on  July 27th, members of the design/construction team presented the latest information to the School Board and the Community as plans progress in the Design/Development phase of the Building the Future of Learning plans.  The group focused specifically on the site plans, middle schools and pools, as well as the first look at the athletic event facilities (stadiums).


The presentation included a review of the site master plans for both the Portage Central and Portage Northern Campuses, including how the designs evolved over time as more information from user groups, and studies of the site, terrain, utilities, traffic studies and construction timelines became available.

Planning for the Northern site has been particularly challenging for the design team because of a smaller site and logistics of building  a new stadium where none exists. As the team evaluated the options they had to measure the future needs, and the previous investment in infrastructure. Safety during the construction process was also a large consideration in the decision making process. Much time has been spent on coordinating space availability to continue programs (particularly athletics) while impacting the least number of students during the construction timeline. Athletic Directors, Coaches, Boosters and Administration have been working together to coordinate the use and sharing of available facilities and fields during the transition.

In the presentation posted here you see the most detailed plans to date, and the rational for the decision making based on wants, needs, budget, space available and the unique qualities of each campus. Plans will continue to be refined as more detailed information becomes available.


Some people have been asking about how the Northern and Central campuses will compare once the construction is completed. The goal of the district and the design team has been, from the beginning, to have equitable facilities on both campuses.  The uniqueness and limitations of each site dictate that there will be some differences, particularly with the outdoor athletic facilities. To make it easy to compare we have come up with with a facility by facility comparison to see the similarities and the necessary differences.