Here are the meeting notes as a Word file:  SWCC Education Committee Minutes 2017-01-25 rev1.doc

The Education Committee of the SW Common Council

Wednesday, January 15, 2017

6:30 to 8:00 pm at

Arnett Branch Library, 310 Arnett Boulevard

Attendance:

John Boutet            SWCC Education Committee Chair, 328-427, jboutet@frontiernet.net

Eleanor Coleman    ProsperRochester, & OACES 224-5119, eleanor.coleman@gmail.com

John Laing              Chair/19WCA Schools Comm & Sch 16 Vol, 235-5236, jlaing1@rochester.rr.com

Jennifer Lenio         Rochester Public Libraries (South District), 428-8272, jlenio@libraryweb.org

Sarah Lydon             Libraries-Community Outreach, 428-8347, sarah.lydon@libraryweb.org

Michelle Wilson        School #16 Pre-K. 303-8410, michelle.wilson@rcsdk12.org

Introductions

SouthWest Library News

Arnett

- Music Series starts Sat, 12/28, 12-1; Cellists from the RPO

Phyllis Wheatley

- Continuing normal activities; resume roundtable every Wed, 6-7, TASC Prep every Wed & Thurs, 3-5pm

- Library partnering with the Rochester Broadway Theatre League;a- Sound of Music Show; Book Discussion before the Wed 3/1, 5:30 show; bring your own dinner; The Story of the Trap Family Singers; 20% discount for evening show

- Library is running a survey to determine communities perspective on the technology equipment offered (length of time you can use the information, types of technology classes we offer, etc.); one can take the survey on a computer or take home a print copy. Deadline 2/1. 10 free prints or “holds.” Also running focus groups - 4 more left. SW focus group Tuesday, 3/31, Arnett at 5:30; refreshments & $25 Walmart gift card.

- Discussion Series in February; 2/9, 5-6:30pm at Arnett on topic “Tenants Rights and Housing” child programming going on at same time. At Wheatley: Topic is Family Services & Child Care, 5:30-7, 2/22

School #10

No new news.

School #16

The initials renovation plans presented on 8/24/2016 is known as Option C.2 and the presentation can be viewed at https://youtu.be/yqJ85k2v8x8 .

It can also be seen in the following drawing showing the Existing Campus and Proposed Option C.2. The front of the school faces Post Avenue and north is to the right.

Discussion at the 8/24/2017 meeting and at subsequent Building Advisory Committee meeting led to our proposal for relocating the gym/assembly area to the the current cafeteria on the north end of the school to permit its use as a community rec center after school hours. The initial proposal is shown below and many pros and cons and alternatives were discussed but the Option C.2 proposal seemed likely to prevail.

We were pleasantly surprised at the January 18, 2017 BAC meeting when SWBR architect Steve Rebholz reviewed a significant change in the renovation plans to accommodate an excellent community center on the north end of the building. This plan keeps the current cafeteria where it is and adds a large gym behind it. This new design eliminates the 2nd story addition shown in Option C.2, re-purposes the current gym/assembly area to a library and uses the current library for classrooms.

John Boutet passed out a handout showing the Rec Center Concept for School #16. The new plan is shown below.

The large cafeteria and even larger gymnasium & stage addition are separate from the rest of the school and provide a great community center for after school hours and keeps the noise away from the classrooms.

Current expansion plan includes added space for a future full service kitchen for the cafeteria (it will have to be equipped later), the new gym and stage addition, access for the public in the back where the parking lot is and added classroom space on the first floor on the west end of the school. This perspective view is scene from above the SW corner of the school lot looking across the playground:

There is still concern that they are not planning on central air conditioning for all rooms, only air conditioning in the windowless rooms and rooms used for summer programming. However, they are planning on putting in the air conditioning framework so it could be added at a later time. All these changes will cost an additional $4.5 million, which requires the Board to approve reallocation of funds.

Space this design will make available is as follows:

Such major changes in plans this late in the renovation process sets the project back a few months. They are moving ahead as fast as they can to make up time and some demolition is starting to study the structure inside some walls and inside the balcony support structure. If they can they will save the balcony and incorporate it in the library space.

Target date for when the school will reopen has not changed but we are skeptical the target date of Fall of 2018 will be met. Any delay in reopening School #16 has implications for Schools #10 & #44. Currently approved plans were that #44 was to provide local seats for neighborhood students until School #16 reopens on Post Avenue. School #44 was then scheduled to close and the building be used as swing space for #10 renovations.

The wisdom of closing #44 is less and less certain as time passes and elementary building space is getting tight. Refugee population has grown significantly and the increase was not anticipated by RCSD in earlier renovation planning. Currently have one entire school dedicated to Refugees. The Superintendent has been charged by the Board to do a reevaluation of space requirement in the district and renovation plans and their impact. The review will be finished by Superintendent probably in December of 2017.

We still need to be looking for the State to change busing reimbursement to cover short-distance busing. Very difficult to get both Houses to pass the legislation at the same time but we need the change to promote neighborhood schools.

School #29
SouthWest Kiwanis Club and Foodlink trying to work together to put in a food garden at School #29. Wondering if (1) the current garden, which was engineered and supported by the community, will be included in the planning and (2) if the neighborhood will be engaged. Space on the north side of the school has been prepped for some gardening.

School #44
Exploring whether or not the school would like to do a gardening project - planting flowers/food. Try to get neighborhood involved in doing a Blocks in Bloom program (Cornell Cooperative Extension program bringing neighbors together around gardening). Suggestion: Wheatley just installed an Edible Food Garden that can be visited and used for educational purposes. Learn about gardening at the library and then go outside and see the applied practices.

OACES
Nursing program has started; still waiting to hear about Customer Service. Printing and Promotion students are printing social action materials.

Rochester Joint School Construction Board
Minutes for the Building Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting were distributed.

Other Suggestions
- Get used to writing letters to your representatives; they have an impact (per Louise Slaughter)
- Don’t rely on just Facebook to get messages out.
- Need to look at increasing bicycle racks to encourage riding bikes to school. Eleanor noted that we also need to make arrangements for adequate bike security.
- Bike Promotion Idea: Encourage students and teachers to ride their bikes to school, use R-Community Bikes to fix bikes when they get to the school, increase police on corners for safety.

SWCC Education Committee Chair, John Boutet, 328-4271, jboutet@frontiernet.net
19thWCA Schools Committee Chair, John Laing, 235-5236, jlaing1@rochester.rr.com

Scribe Services: Eleanor Coleman, eleanor.coleman@gmail.com