At the conclusion of the 2007-08 school year, crews from both DPSD as well as outside contracting companies began to work on a few major projects at DPHS. The largest project has been the de-commissioning of the old sewage pumping system and the installation of a new gravity fed system to serve the new facility. There has been a number of large excavators and some significant trenching involved in this project. Work is on schedule and the system will be ready for the start of the 2008-09 school year.
The need to remove hazardous materials from the site has been minimal, as almost all hazardous materials were found to be below thresholds that require special removal and treatment.
Other trenching projects have involved the relocation and repositioning of electrical lines and fiber cables (data) to server what will be the MDF (main distribution facility) in the renovated high school. This project also involved removing significant amounts of existing concrete slab in order to bring in both high and low voltage lines to the new locations. In the coming months both the old and new MDF will need to be functional in order to serve both existing needs as well as new construction.
Finally, 5 portable classroom buildings have arrived and installation of these structures in front of DPHS has begun. Each of these 5 portable buildings contain 2 classrooms and thus will provide space for a total of 10 classrooms outside of the existing facility. These portables are necessary to provide space for the teachers and students displaced by demolition and construction in the main facility. The portable buildings will remain on-site through the completion of construction in 2010.
Click on any of the following "thumbnails" to view a larger version.
Digging service trenches
 | Concrete slab removal
 | 200 Wing Construction Barrier
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DPHS library demolition
 | Prepping for new portables
 | Installing New Sewer Line
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With the bond measure to renovate Deer Park High School successfully passed in May of 2007, the past 7 months have been filled with many hours meetings regarding building and site design as well as overall project planning. Under the direction of Steve Howard, Deer Park's maintenance and facilities director, and Joe Feist, principal of DPHS (as well as generous amounts of input from building and district staff) NAC Architecture is quickly nearing the end of the design process.
Over the next two years, the existing building (originally constructed in 1978) will undergo a complete modernization, which will include: new interior and exterior finishes, insulation, roofing, glazing, cabinetry, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical/phone/data systems. New additions will be built for additional classroom space, auxiliary gym, wrestling/aerobics, and performing arts. The existing footprint of DPHS to be remodeled covers a total of 81,156 sq. ft., while the additions to the existing building foundation will total just over 67,000 sq. ft.
With the professional expertise of NAC Architecture serving as the driving force behind the design process, the main focus of the DPHS modernization is a significant reorganization of the existing floor plan; the current layout posed challenges from the outset and has only become more problematic as the student population has increased. The goal is to rework the layout - while still working within the constraints of existing footprint - to yield a circulation system that flows to logically positioned destinations without congested "out-and-back" traffic patterns. The new additions proposed to the existing facility tend to naturally shape two entry plazas - a large main plaza in the front of the building and a smaller entry plaza for events. These spaces offer nicely defined access to both student and public destinations such as the main office, library, theater, gymnasium, and main commons (which also serves as a lobby for theater and gym events).
Presently, the overall project plan is in the final design stages and will put out for bid in May/June 2008. Current plans call for "pre-construction" to begin at the close of the '07 - '08 school year, with demolition and construction associated with Phase 2A to begin in September of 2008. Construction will take place in three phases over the course of two years and will follow a schedule similar to the following:
- Pre-construction - Phase 1 (summer 2008):
- New gravity sewer installation
- HAZMAT removal (to greatest extent possible)
- Phase 2A (Sept. 2008 to Aug. 2009):
- Auxiliary gym addition
- Wrestling room addition (includes new mechanical above)
- Commence kitchen remodel
- Additional classrooms
- Central mechanical/electrical room
- Phase 2B (Mar. 2009 to Aug. 2009:
- Locker room modernization
- Phase 2C (Jun. 2009 to Aug. 2009):
- Office/administration remodel
- Existing library, science wing remodel
- Phase 3A (Sept. 2009 to Aug. 2010):
- Complete kitchen, areas south of main office and south of library
- Theater addition
- Modernize southwest classroom wing
- Modernize library and nearby classrooms
- Phase 3B (Mar. 2010 t0 Aug. 2010):
- Phase 3C (Jun. 2010 to Aug. 2010):
- Renovate shops
- Renovate existing gymnasium
As these each of these phases gets underway we'll make sure to take plenty of pictures that we can upload to the web. Don't miss out on the exciting architectual renderings below!
