New 5th Avenue Site Plans Now Online
Decatur Metro | March 18, 2010 | 3:19 pmOld Fifth Avenue Site Plan
New Fifth Avenue Site Plan
The new site plans for the Fifth Avenue 4/5 Academy are now online!
The old and new site plans are above. You can either click the pic itself for a larger image view, or you can go straight to the PDF, which allows for really obsessive zooming. The biggest changes since the last go-round? Lots more street parking and a smaller school footprint, which allows for more green-space on the site.
There are also site plan PDFs available for the ground floor, main floor and upper floor of the actual building.
Check it!
Let the grousing COMMENCE!
That sucks, send it back.
I kid, therefore I lamb.
Ba-dump-TSSSSH! Try the veal, folks. He’ll be here all week.
(Gibbety-Gibbets, some days I *heart* you for the chuckles you give me!)
There’s a playground! Hurray! Feedback works!
Much better as far as I’m concerned. Glad to see we’re no longer prioritizing on site car storage over rec space. Also, looks like the school’s relationship with 5th Ave is much stronger as well with primary entrances at the sidewalk rather than behind a couple rows of stacked buses. What about the classroom count? Others are way more informed than I am re: space.
We need RachelF or Garrett Goebel to post. They seem to be totally on top of the classroom measurements, counts, and data. But I doubt anyone knows how to project enrollment anymore. On the one hand, enrollment has been growing and the economy might put a few families formerly headed to private school into the CSD student population. On the other hand, I hear that applications and enrollment is booming at private schools as parents worried about class sizes, program cuts, and service cuts decide that public education won’t be adequate. And the dynamics in Decatur are always unique….
This is a greatly improved plan.
The process will never be perfect. Communication can always be better. But it works in Decatur. It is worth being involved, and the outcomes are better for it.
I would like to thank the BoE and Dr. Edwards for listening. And specifically John Ahmann and Dr. Edwards for their involvement in bringing about a face to face meeting between the architects, central office staff, and our community members who petitioned for so many of the changes which have been incorporated. And last but not least, thanks to those community members for pooling their expertise, organization, communication skills, and support.
The plan provides 22 regular classrooms, dedicated rooms for science and art, and 4 pullout rooms which can be converted into 2 additional classrooms. Though it only has 600 lockers, it could support a maximum of 26 classrooms and 650 students at 25 students/classroom. It will really shine when enrollments are 550 or less. It also has space planned in for a future addition if necessary.
I think they’ve done about the best they currently can to maximize green space. I hope CSD will make a long term commitment to continue purchasing lots adjacent to the new 4/5 Academy.
My lingering concerns would be classroom size, sinks in classrooms, maximizing outdoor play space, and the maximum capacity of the multipurpose room.
Trying to answer Karass’ concerns about enrollments…
If we’re at 550 enrollments between kindergarten and 1st grade, then we have some of the highest enrollments seen in the last 25 years. Historically, we tend to gain enrollments at traditional transition points: 1st, 6th, and 9th grades. But overall, we lose enrollments between kindergarten and 12th grade. From 1986-2008, we had mean and median decline in enrollments between Kindergarten and 12th grade of around 24-25%. Our highest K-1 enrollments since 1986 were 580 in 1996. In 2001, this cohort became 425 4th and 5th graders. And in 2007, 380 11th and 12th graders.
So if recent history repeats itself, the kindergarten and 1rst grade classes we have today will not overcrowd our new 4/5 Academy tomorrow. However, our current growth appears to be different from the last bubble, in that we’re seeing enrollment growth across the board in all grades. So I don’t place as much confidence on the traditional decline in enrollments from kindergarten to 12th grade during the current economic environment. All that said, the current 4/5 plans should work.
Our K-3 capacity will be tight. Even with Glennwood, we are probably about 10-12 classrooms short of where it would need to be to balance the planned capacity for 5th Ave, RMS, and DHS.
My best guess is, that as long as the current economic malaise continues, our schools will continue to fill up to capacity. Which is both an opportunity and a challenge.
This plan will easily accommodate 600 kids. The current enrollment for K & 1st grades is about 550. There is a pretty large bubble in 1st grade right now. The PK enrollment is around 200. Who knows what happens after that, but I think this size school should do us fairly well.
Thanks for the playground CSD!
Wow! Now that’s more like it! Thanks for listening CSD!!!! I look forward to seeing the presentations on it to get more details.
Much better looking plan. Does seem like unfortunate timing, though, on the same day the news hits about major revenue cuts and teacher furloughs. State revenues are shrinking, shrinking and CSD dollars will get scarcer, scarcer.
Any word on when it’ll be finished? Still planning to open it for 2011-2012 year?
From a casual review of the site plans shown above, I love the new plan! I like the on-street parking and smaller school footprint. I like that the school more directly fronts 5th Avenue and Oakview. Also, I think the new placement of the building and parking does a better job of maximizing useful greenspace and incorporating the city pocket park so that it can be utilized. I think the basketball court and playground are great additions! I also see a lot of potential for the new amphitheatre to be used as an outdoor classroom incorporating the ‘farm to school’ and ‘student garden’ curriculum. I also like how it allows for a potential expansion, which could be necessary if the city annexes more residential.
The only drawback I can see is that it now appears the buses will line up directly on Oakview, a fairly major road here in Oakhurst. This could cause some traffic issues for the neighborhood, but I think it’s a fair trade-off to make the best use of the available land. I support it.
I’m sure others will point out more flaws, particularly in the interior of the building which I can’t really tell anything about. But, I’m hopeful this time around everyone’s efforts and energy will be put to use trying to create the best possible school for our children instead of debating whether or not it should be built at all.
A bit of traffic calming on Oakview would not be a bad thing, IMO. (when buses are lined up)
In fact, many of us who may not really think this is the right solution were equally engaged with CSD and the architects in suggesting most of the changes you see on the plan today. We all have to hold counter positions in tandem sometimes.
Yes, despite naysayers contention to the contrary, it is possible to oppose a CSD decision but then contribute constructively to making that decision work as best as possible for the students who the decision affects. Actually, there’s proof of that happening several times in the last 5 years including people who opposed particular decisions then heading or serving on PTA/PTOs and/or School Councils and/or SLTs and/or spending countless hours volunteering and/or helping to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the schools. It’s the responsible thing to do. It’s irresponsible to keep quiet when one has serious questions and concerns but it’s also irresponsible to punish the students just because of concerns about CSD decisions.
Regarding the bus line on Oakview: Rosser did a dry run with 10 buses lined up along Oakview around 7:30am. They noted that they buses did not impede traffic, but did appear to slow the traffic down some, which is never a bad thing! In my mind, slower traffic makes this configuration an even wiser decision because it also helps to protect the kids not riding the bus.
I am so pleased to see these significant changes to the building configuration and site. The plan changes represent almost every suggestion we formally presented to the architects and CSD. I’m sure many other people presented many of these ideas as well. This includes the purchase of the lot next door to the city park. Does anyone know if this transaction is complete?
Maybe we don’t need that CSD communications position after all. The community seems to have been heard on this enormous issue prior to Bruce’s appointment. My son’s heading to Renfroe next year and I’d like nothing more than to see Bruce continue to do the job he does so well. Maybe career advancement could come when the economy’s stronger. We are all having to be patient through these difficult financial times.
I also share the concerns of those who think this large expenditure is not very timely. Also, please note this expenditure does not include any of the classroom additions at the other schools as recommended in Option 13, so as I understand things, we still may have trailors at the K-3′s sometimes… I think. Judd, anybody, is this how you understand things? I can’t get a straight answer on this question.
“Maybe we don’t need that CSD communications position after all. The community seems to have been heard on this enormous issue prior to Bruce’s appointment.”
I wouldn’t rush to judgment on that. What we don’t know–empirically–is how much time and attention was robbed from other functional areas to enable CSD to contend with the volume of feedback and dialogue this whole thing entailed.
Imagine that–the school board and administrators had to spend a ton of time and attention contending “with the volume of feedback and dialogue this whole thing entailed”!
Erm…I thought that was their job.
Agree, any decent job performance plan for a mid-level to senior position in government includes a responsibility for communication with, and responsiveness to, citizens. City of Decatur staff are also busy and seem to be able to do it with a smile. No question that a communications position in Central Office would be useful; it’s just a question of whether it should be prioritized over teacher salary reductions (furloughs), number of instructional days, and any staff or program cuts. If a tax increase, or bus transportation cuts, or some other mechanism was available to prevent furloughs, length of school year cuts, and staff or program cuts, filling high salary positions in Central Office would be more defensible.
IMO their primary job is running the school system, and of course that involves communication with stakeholders and the public. I was referring to what seemed like an avalanche of communication requirements AFTER there had already been a process that included community input and feedback. Somehow I know I’m going to regret opening my mouth.
I agree with those that posted on the process working. I see many of the changes that parents and other citizens requested. It is great to see whole rooms set aside for science and art. I also note the field size is maximized and detailed. Hopefully, the field will be useable by CSD and Active Living. It would be nice to see them work together on possibly funding a synthetic surface field that can be used even when wet! I also like the access at ground floor. It looks like the building will be much more approachable. The bike racks are also in a better, protected place (theft has been an issue at the more exposed Glennwood). Like all the K-5 schools, a gym is still needed, but funding that is an issue. All in all, nicely done and proof that citizen input is a good thing.
The site plan is much improved. One word of caution… bio detention swales, collection ponds and infiltration systems can still take up a lot of what we now perceive as open space on the Fifth Avenue site. Heads up CSD, this site is too small to have a drainage system like the one used at Clairemont. A sub surface collection system, hopefully still infiltrating, like Glennwood’s is needed on this site. The devil’s in the details on this one.
FYI. This is on the CSD website.
March 22, 2010 (tonight)
Information Session RE: Fifth Avenue, 6 pm. Glennwood