The bucket list – School District No. 37 celebrates two big wins

By Jillian Mitchell

South Delta Secondary School superlab.

For a school district director of facilities, nothing is more satisfying than scratching an item off the to-do list. This year, Frank Geyer of Delta School District No. 37 was able to cross off two – the South Delta Secondary School and the Delta Community College projects.

SOuTh DElTA SECOnDARy SChOOl

To the tune of $10.2 million, the South Delta Secondary School project is the district’s largest current project. The two-storey facility, which boasts 1,350 students between grades 8 and 12, received a seismic retrofit beginning early July 2013, with a target completion of late October 2014.

For Geyer, this project is one near and dear to his heart. “When I came to the district in 2002, I did a tour of all the buildings. I looked at the science wing of this building, which was arguably the most dated, neglected group of classrooms I’d ever seen in my career,” says the director of facilities and planning of the 40-year-old facility. “It was on my career bucket list to do something about it.”

Geyer and his team were finally able to put forth the South Delta Secondary seismic upgrade project application, which included a major renovation to the science wing, in November 2012. By June 2013, funding had been secured through a number of sources – the Ministry of Education Capital Plan, the sale of Tsawwassen School Reserve, the Delta School District’s Annual Facility Grant and local capital accounts, FortisBC, and the Tsawwassen Rotary Club – and temporary portables were subsequently moved on-site to assist with the project’s seven phases of construction.

A project highlight for Geyer was the $1-million total renovation of the science wing carried out as part of Phase 1, involving a basic reconfiguration of eight combination classroom/lab rooms into a brand-new “superlab” with eight smaller, multi-use classrooms. The new lab features new walls, doors, flooring, and cabinetry; higher ceilings; energyefficient lighting and controls; new heating and distribution systems; and new furniture and A/V equipment.

Additionally, the superlab boasts a “cool new look,” as facilitated through the feature wall (in the school’s signature yellow) at the entry way and the vinyl accent flooring, and custom woodwork that includes repurposed butcher-block countertops from the original 1973 lab/ classroom tables.

In addition, Phase 1 included the complete structural upgrade of the classrooms directly beneath the second-floor science wing, major re-roofing to 40 per cent of the school, and the replacement of 50 gas-fired rooftop heating units with 300 per cent efficient air-source heat pumps. Phase 2, which was completed in December 2013, saw the completion of the reroofing and the start of another seismic upgrade involving the six southernmost classrooms. Phase 3 focused on similar upgrades to the computer, art and graphics classrooms, along with the repainting of the main floor corridor and advance work in the shops block, all of which were completed over Christmas break.

Wrapping up the project’s classroom block work, Phase 4 involved the temporary relocation of administration and library services into the upgraded classrooms, which enabled asbestos abate-

Delta Community College.

ment to proceed in Phase 6 areas over spring break. Phase 5 completed the seismic upgrade of the shop blocks in April 2014, while Phase 6 encompassed upgrades of the library and administration blocks in time for the 2014 school year’s commencement. Non-structural seismic work and asbestos abatement at the south end’s gymnasium, cafeteria and theatre, as well as the construction of a landscaped outdoor amphitheatre (dubbed the “Heart of Tsawwassen”) mark the seventh and final phase of the project.

Geyer shares that summer 2013 was very productive – at one point, four crews were running, two on double shift. According to the director of facilities, the project’s team, which included prime consultant Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc., construction manager Unitech Construction Management Ltd., and sub-consultants Craven Huston Powers Architects and Rocky Point Engineering Ltd., is right on track for the mid-fall completion.

“This is a dream team for me, as project manager. Everybody gets along. Everybody’s got their eyes on the prize,” Geyer says. “As a result, we’ve been able to take something from various resources and stretch it into something pretty magical. We’re very happy.”

DElTA COMMunITy COllEgE

The municipality of Delta will be welcoming its first post-secondary institution in fall 2014, Delta Community College. The new college is situated on the former site of North Delta Secondary School Alternate Education portables at the intersection of 83rd Avenue and 116th Street in North Delta.

Construction of the $2.6-million facility commenced September 2013 and wrapped as scheduled in late August 2014, just in time for the fall term, thanks to the project’s team, which included prime consultant Graham Hoffart Mathiasen Architects, construction manager Unitech Construction Management Ltd., and sub-consultants John A. Wallace Engineering Ltd. (structural), Rocky Point Engineering Ltd. (mechanical), Jarvis Engineering Consultants Ltd. (electrical) and H.Y. Engineering Ltd. (civil). Landscaping, move-in and minor tweaks, however, will continue on site over the following few months.

The new 1,409-square-metre facility features eight full-size classrooms, a computer lab, staff and student lounges, an advising room, child care facility, and an atrium computer area with modern amenities. Also on site is a 60-vehicle parking lot and fenced playground.

The new college replaces the aging portable classrooms encompassing Delview Adult Learning Centre, which was demolished in August 2014.

“To say [the portables] were not in good shape would be an understatement,” says Geyer of the over-40-yearold “temporary” building. “They were in very poor condition and for years we’ve been trying to find a way to replace that facility. It was going to be as state-of-theart as we could afford.”

Funding for the project, which was on Geyer’s hit list for over 11 years, was a challenge, as the building was not eligible for inclusion in the Ministry of Education’s Five-Year Capital. Between the net proceeds from the sales of surplus district properties (including the old adult learning centre site) and funding out of the district’s local capital and operating reserves, Geyer was able to amass the financing necessary to see the facilities branch’s vision become a reality.

Geyer shares that the original plans for the project consisted of a repurposing of the existing surplus portables dispersed throughout the district. During the design phase, however, it was determined that refurbishing the existing portables would meet neither the project’s targeted move-in date nor indoor insulation requirements. As such, the solution was to construct an all-new wood frame on concrete slab facility with high-efficiency air-source heat pumps, windows and lighting, as well as low maintenance prefinished metal cladding, carpet tile flooring, security window shutters and an automatic fire suppression system.

The college is the first all-new facility in the Delta School District since 2000 (Neilson Grove Elementary in Ladner). Accordingly, the new college will house all adult education programs in North Delta with plans to expand through distance education and online learning opportunities.

“Many people rely on our continuing education program within the Delta School District,” says Geyer, who is pleased with the final product. “We’re establishing a college in Delta where none has gone before.” b