Rock Creek Key to Waverley Construction
UPDATED 12.5.2017, 12:25 to add information from FCPS on upcoming public meetings on site selection. Click here for more details.
A new site for Rock Creek School (RCS) is close to final determination from a list of seven possible sites. Once RCS construction is complete and the student population relocated to the new building, construction can begin on a modernized Waverley Elementary School with the much larger new school designed either with a building addition on part of the RCS site, or using part of the existing RCS building in the new design.
What is clear for Frederick County Public Schools, now in the process of determining educational specifications as part of a Waverley ES Feasibility Study, is that the process cannot pass through the design stage to construction until RCS has vacated the current site. So far, the process to relocate RCS is on schedule. Brian Staiger, senior project manager for RCS site selection says materials will be posted on the FCPS website on Dec. 6, and site selection is slated to go in front of the BOE at their meeting on Dec. 13.
Residents from the neighborhood around Monocacy Middle School on Oppossumtown Pike are not waiting to make their voices heard. About 30 of them attended the last Board of Education meeting on Nov. 29. Jim McGarren, a board member of Neighborhood Advisory Council 3, spoke for the group as he voiced concerns. Relocating RCS to the Monacacy MS and ES campus would significantly increase traffic on Oppossumtown Pike, he said.
He pointed out that along this corridor to Motter Avenue, six educational institutions are already contributing to traffic: St. John’s Regional Catholic School, Frederick Community College, Monocacy MS and ES, TJ High School, and the FCPS Transportation Department with a fleet of 400 buses. The Fort Detrick Nallin Farm Gate with an exit onto Oppossumtown Pike also adds to congestion.
McGarren said that relocating RCS to this site would also encroach on existing green space with what another resident described as “ a wonderful park-like setting, a real community resource.” Also, it does not take into account future growth for both Monocacy MS and ES. Patrick Thomsetter representing TJ soccer says his teams play on the fields behind Monocacy MS and relocating them elsewhere would likely increase costs for parents who can least afford it.
Other possible relocation sites for RCS have been identified as: Ballenger Creek MS, Dearbought, Gov.Thomas Johnson MS, Tuscarora ES, Valley ES, and Walkersville MS.
In the meantime, Waverley ES Feasibility Study committee and architects from Marks Thomas are moving ahead with specifications for a school with 725 students and a still to be determined larger school of possibly more than 1,000 students. The first designs for building renovation plus additions to entirely new construction on a site created by demolishing both RCS and the current Waverley ES building have been developed and used as points of reference. As a result, the committee has asked to remove the portables when determining the needs for new classrooms and gained awareness of the complexity in determining square footage when so much of the interior space is now multi-purposed.
Principal Jan Hollenbeck gave a description of how the cafeteria currently has a book fair being assembled on the stage, two classes for band take place at the same time in the cafeteria, plus an English language class for adults, all while 700 students are transitioning through the space at the start of the day. Lunch in the cafeteria is a protracted operation from 10.50 a.m. to 1.05 p.m. as the space cannot accommodate all students at one time. The same goes for school-wide awards ceremonies. Small group instruction must sometimes take place in hallways and teachers have desks in what was previously designated as a book room. No thought has yet been given as to how to accommodate students during the new construction.
With the new building, Hollenbeck is quite aware that her school will be transformed from a small, to a much larger school. “Above all, I want us to have a school that feels safe, positive and open,” she says. “We have very close neighbors and our green space is used by the community in the evenings and at weekends. I want us to be good neighbors but especially I want us to provide an environment where our students can make transitions safely.”
When asked about her vision for the inside of the building, Hollenbeck said she wants to maximize instruction time and minimize transition time. As an example, she said, is a classroom that has direct access to bathrooms so that kids don’t have to leave the room.
She also puts a high premium on a calming environment where organization is evident, and where there are opportunities for quiet spaces and collaboration. “We also need adaptable space so that we can provide options for future learning, and have the flexibility to install systems that reduce energy costs,” she said. Other suggestions from the committee include taking into account building orientation to maximize natural light, use of outside spaces for instruction, and car drop off and pick-up in less conspicuous locations.
The public has an opportunity to add their comments on the new school at a community meeting in the Waverley ES cafeteria at 6 p.m. on Dec. 11.
Photo above by Gillian Grozier
