LAS CRUCES – Las Cruces Public Schools is set to spend an estimated $13 million on modifications to Desert Hills Elementary School, including a new multipurpose room, kitchen, kindergarten classroom wing addition, improved security entrance and a remodel to the pick-up/drop- off area.
During the school board meeting May 17, Joe Gallegos and Larry McDonald, representatives of the architecture firm Huitt-Zollars, Inc. in Albuquerque, presented the construction plans.
Gallegos first presented the new plan for the traffic flow and a site overview. One of the goals is to increase safety for pedestrian crossings along Roadrunner Parkway.
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“One of the biggest challenges for Desert Hills was the traffic congestion,” Gallegos said. “Our design in this site plan is going to have three rapid flashing beacons crosswalk at each side of the road and one in the median. We’re pushing the crosswalk away from that entry point in our design. What we tried to do is keep the same entry points and exit points, instead of having to cut cuts into the school. So we’re trying to use what was there.”
The new site plan uses the existing exit and entry points at Desert Hills, but redesigns much of the parking lots and extends the area for parent pick-up and drop-off to reduce traffic.
The current pick-up/drop-off zone will now be used for buses, which will be separated from the rest of the vehicle traffic. For pick-up and drop-off, there will be a new extended one-way driveway that will connect from the central driveway.
There will also be added parking space for visitors, as was requested by parents and guardians.
This is all in an effort to redirect traffic congestion from Roadrunner during start and release times.
“The City of Las Cruces was heavily involved in this design, they really saw that the congestion has a very dangerous situation,” Gallegos said.
Board member Pamela Cort expressed her concern of students having to walk in the street. Gallegos explained that there would be a new sidewalk that goes around the bus loop.
There will also be a new covered area at the pick-up/drop-off location to provide shade to waiting students.
Additional wing
McDonald continued the presentation, laying out the additional main pieces of the renovations: a main lobby remodel, current children’s classroom upgrades and the addition of a new kitchen, multipurpose room and kindergarten wing.
The main lobby will be remodeled to provide heightened security and relocate the band room. The existing portable classrooms will also be relocated and the nurses area will be expanded. The new designs are meant to serve up to 783 students.
“The main entry, we are looking at doing security upgrades, so we have a more secure vestibule coming in, so we’re able to screen folks before they’re actually able to enter into the school itself,” McDonald said.
The project is estimated to cost $13.4 million. A base bid of $10 million is allotted for the majority of the project, but a bid lot of $3.4 million is estimated for the new kindergarten wing, specifically. The costs of the kindergarten wing will be estimated individually.
“It’ll be just more harmonious,” McDonald said.
Although the representatives from Huitt-Zollars, Inc. kept their short presentation, it was already after midnight when they started presenting. The board members had no questions.
You can view the full meeting on the LCPS YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LCPSTV.
Miranda Cyr, a Report for America corps member, can be reached at [email protected] or @mirandacyr on Twitter. Show your support for the Report for America program at https://bit.ly/LCSNRFA.
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