Heat and Light on the MtLHS High School Project

Lebo's high school renovation and criticism of it attracted a nibble from the wider press. From the Tribune-Review:

A Mt. Lebanon engineer and parent has revved up his criticism of spending $115 million to build a new Mt. Lebanon High School, but officials counter that his concerns have been addressed and are not shared by the district at large.

Dirk Taylor, a Mt. Lebanon resident and principal of Taylor Structural Engineers in Scott, said the administration and board have been courteous but have not addressed his concerns.

"They've been somewhat responsive, but it's been a shell game," he said.

Taylor contends that the best option for the district is renovating the high school, the oldest part of which dates to 1928. The school board is advancing an approach that combines renovation and new construction.

He said that wastes money and natural resources by demolishing 200,000 square feet of the complex's newest and most easily renovated space and spreads athletic facilities across the campus with less parking.

"Sometimes I get the impression they want to push through a new school whether it's the right thing or not," he said.

Here is the whole Trib story.

Meanwhile, Dirk Taylor sent me the full text of a letter to the editor that he sent to the Trib and the Post-Gazette, but that was not published. It is a good summary of his criticism of the project and the process:

"All Mt. Lebanon taxpayers should take a long, objective look at the preposterous High School reconstruction project that is being developed for bidding and construction next year. Now having been nearly 40 years since the last major High School addition/renovation, the building is in great need of a major renovation that will easily cost around $90 million in order to maintain the excellent quality of this facility that has served us well for many years. But we do not need the proposed total reconstruction project that will needlessly waste millions of tax dollars, destroy the campus, waste energy and natural resources, result in a less-functional building, and cost over 50% more than the highest-priced public school project ever undertaken in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Over the past 18 months I have raised serious issues with the Architects, School Board, and District Superintendent regarding the proposed High School reconstruction, with no substanative response. In July, I issued a 13-page report to the Superintendent and Board identifying numerous specific major problems with the design that has been approved and is being developed for bidding and construction in the summer of 2010. (I will be happy to share that report with any Mt. Lebanon resident or local media representative who requests a copy.) Those issues include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Counter to what has been presented to the public, travel distance between classrooms has been dramatically increased for the vast majority of students, with the maximum distance between classrooms in the academic wings increasing to 1,050 feet (one-fifth of a mile).

• The proposed design represents a gross waste of taxpayer money, natural resources, and energy by needlessly demolishing and reconstructing about a quarter-million square feet of perfectly good structure. This includes tearing down over 200,000 square feet of the newest and most easily renovatable portion of the building, totally disregarding the future flexibility intentionally designed into that structure by the original architect.

• The proposed design abandons one of the region’s most well-designed athletic complexes, and reconstructs it 300 feet away, across a road from the current building, requiring an unnecessary and expensive pedestrian bridge, increased student travel time, and providing no significant increase in the size of the main competition gym. It also ignors a much simpler and less expensive option for expanding the swimming pool without destroying the tennis courts and “pee-wee” baseball field.

• Misleading and false information was presented to the public regarding the need for temporary classrooms and higher asbestos abatement costs to justify the need to replace rather than renovate the biggest, newest, and most easily renovatable academic wing. Misinformation was also used to incorrectly describe the current High School as a disfunctional building, and to to mischaracterize a renovation as nothing more than a “repair,” as if it would be a nothing more than a temporary “patch-job.”

• The proposed design locates the main central corridor of student travel between academic wings through the center of the new cafeteria, directly between the servory and dining area.

• The proposed design will require significant change in school policy regarding student “free time” back to an approach that was introduced 40 years ago and subsequently abandoned, presumably for good reason.

• The proposed design causes far more disruption to the existing well-designed site over a 3-year period than would be required for a well-conceived renovation, adding millions to the cost, reducing the amount of available parking spaces, and eliminating athletic fields that are used by the School District and the Community.

• The proposed design creates an unnecessary negative impact on the environment, totally disregarding the stated goal of obtaining a LEED Certification that may be obtainable through calculated “manipulation” of the application requirements.

I am a life-long Mt. Lebanon resident. My wife (also a life-long resident) and I have raised three daughters in the community, and plan to spend many more years here. I am also the principal owner of a structural engineering firm with nearly 30 years experience in building construction, including more than 100 significant public school projects. For the past 15 years, I have been Mt. Lebanon School District’s “go-to” structural engineer, having worked in each school, including more than a dozen projects at the High School. I know the building structure like the back of my hand. The issues I have raised are based on my knowledge of the community, the High School building structure, and a detailed review of the schematic design drawings that have been prepared by the Architects.

The current High School reconstruction design is not the best option for Mt. Lebanon. I truly hope that more Mt. Lebanon residents will take a closer look at the serious problems with the current design and voice your opinions. I will be happy to share more information with anyone who is interested. Now is the time to speak up to help turn the direction of this project back onto the right course."