School Modernization Begins Amid Resident Worries

The first phase of Gaithersburg High School's modernization has begun, namely the construction of a temporary parking lot for staff that will be used while construction of the new building takes place on the existing parking lots, MCPS senior facilities designer Dennis Cross said last week at the school.

Cross and Samaha Associates architect Paul Falkenbury were at Gaithersburg High April 14 to tell residents who live near the school about the construction. A small group of people, mostly residents of Desellum Avenue, attended the meeting, along with Mayor Sidney Katz and City Councilmember Cathy Drzyzgula.

Cross said that the first 150 of what will end up being 750 geothermal wells will also be installed over spring break this week underneath the temporary lot, which will eventually be converted to a lacrosse field by the end of construction. These wells, resting 550 feet below the surface, will use the natural temperature of the Earth to heat and cool the building, Falkenbury said.

Along with a multitude of vegetative trays that will cover the roof of the new school to manage storm water, the wells will make the new building Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified.

Builders are taking advantage of spring break to build the parking lot and wells without disrupting school classes and activities, Laurie Augustino, Gaithersburg High School cluster coordinator for the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, said. Construction of the new building will begin immediately after the school year is over in June.

Falkenbury took the opportunity to reassure Desellum residents that construction equipment won't be driving through the street; the main construction entrance will be through Summit Avenue. Desellum will only be used for construction workers' personal vehicles, which will be parked on a temporary parking lot where the baseball fields are now. This lot will also be constructed after the school year ends, after the current baseball season ends, Falkenbury said.

Once construction begins, however, there will be no more home sports games for the next three school years, as the remaining wells will be installed underneath the fields. The school has made arrangements with other schools for home games depending on the sport, school business manager Charles Overly said.

Additionally, Overly said there will be no theatre productions next year, as workers add a third floor to the J-wing, which was added in 2005 and houses the auditorium. The J-wing is the only currently standing structure that will remain once construction is finished.

Residents were also concerned with students walking to school. After this school year ends, there will be no student parking for the next three school years, forcing students to park in city parking lots and garages, and then walk to school along Frederick Road. They will join students who normally walk through Desellum and Summit Avenues to get to school, as these streets will be closed.

Everyone in attendance was aware of the safety issues of large masses of students walking across Frederick Road. Overly estimated the amount of students who park on campus is 10 to 15 percent of the overall student population. In addition, the school is moving to one closed lunch starting next year, meaning students will not be allowed to leave school grounds during lunch.

Katz said the city will also be providing safety support. "The city obviously is concerned just like you are, and our police are going to have to figure out what works, what didn't work, and the same thing for parking," he said. Augustino said that the school will probably place administrators at crosswalks to make sure students don't jaywalk.

The new building is scheduled to be completed by June 2013, in time for students to start classes in it for the 2013-2014 school year. Workers will then commence demolishing the old building, building the new 415-space parking lot where the building used to be, and finishing the baseball and lacrosse fields. This would mark the end of the project; students would then be able to park on campus again and home sports games will resume for the 2014-2015 school year.

The school is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, May 26 at 5 p.m., which will be followed by a reception with refreshments.