Board President: $20M is Too Much for WH Academy Renovations

The Woodland Hills School Board is planning on spending millions of dollars to , but just how much they’ll spend and what they’ll upgrade is still unclear.

Last week, the board voted to pay Foreman Architects up to $60,000 to submit funding proposals to the state for partial reimbursement. For those proposals, the company will use a $20 million figure—what it would cost to completely renovate the building. 

Board President Marilyn Messina said that amount is higher than the board is willing to spend. Foreman Architects is using the figure in the proposals in order to meet an Oct. 1 deadline before a state moratorium takes effect, she added, and the board can decide later which renovations to pursue.

“I can guarantee you that no board member will go for the $20 million,” Messina said.

According to Messina, $21 million remains in a bond the board plans to use for renovations to the Academy and other buildings. Foreman Architects is also conducting a study of Rankin School to look for potential renovations.

“It’s not an immediate thing,” Messina said of the renovation process. “You can’t do it by the seat of your pants.”

In a study of the academy that Foreman Architects recently made, the company rates the building as “poor.” It’s the worst of four possible ratings.

Facilities Supervisor John Besseck said he agrees with the assessment; the building hasn’t been renovated since the ’70s. But he also said the designation is more an indication that the structure is aging than it is a sign of imminent danger.

“That doesn’t mean that the building is not habitable or not safe,” Besseck said. “It just means it’s getting old.”

Terry L. Thompson, Foreman’s vice president of architecture, told board members last week that the building’s needs resemble another school his company renovated for about $10 million.

In that case, Thompson said, the school retained existing equipment such as chalkboards while focusing on structural issues. For the academy, he suggested resurfacing sidewalks, repairing ceilings, adding handrails to stairs and replacing the gym’s and auditorium’s wooden catwalks, among other things.

The board won’t know how much reimbursement the project qualifies for, if any, until after the state reviews the proposal.

Besseck said it could take up to a year to complete that process, one that involves numerous components. In addition to renovation plans, the architects will have to submit energy and facility studies, and the school also has to submit information about enrollment and curricula. From there, the state will determine how much to reimburse.

The board can amend its proposal later in the process, Thompson said. But if the project’s scope or cost changes significantly, the state could require a new submission—which could pose a problem if a moratorium goes through in October.

After Oct. 1, the state plans to implement a nine-month moratorium on reviewing such funding proposals, known as Planning and Construction Workbook or PlanCon. The state currently spends about $300 million a year reimbursing schools for construction and renovation projects, and legislators are debating whether the program should be changed or done away with altogether.

Messina said it was important to hit the deadline in case funding dries up, even if the details haven’t been hashed out. She said opinions differed among administrators and admitted that long-term goals were hazy.

Board member Regis Driscoll, for instance, said during last week’s meeting that he sees the academy as a vital part of the district’s future.

“The building has been identified by the administration as one that’s going to be in the district for quite some time,” Driscoll said.

Bob Tomasic, on the other hand, said he favors scrapping the aging school and constructing a new one near the administration building.

“Tear it down,” Tomasic said, recalling the advice another architect had given him in the past. “Build it new. Don’t renovate it.”

Whatever the case, Messina said the project will take time and the board still needs to develop a clearer idea of the future. If they’re going to spend millions, after all, they’d better be sure the renovations will meet the district’s needs for the next 20 years or so.

“I have not been told what the vision is yet,” Messina said.

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