Guadalupe Union School District's proposed new middle school will boast state-of-the-art infrastructure and be built using recycled materials where possible, according to an architect's blueprint unveiled this week.

Anthony Palazzo, principal architect with Phillips Metsch Sweeney Moore (PMSM), presented the blueprint to the board of education for review Thursday.

Next, the plans must undergo a grueling state approval process before the district can purchase the property earmarked for the school site.

“The ultimate goal of the project is for (the school) to be a long-sustaining facility for the district,” Palazzo said. “It will really be something the community can be proud of.”

The middle school will accommodate an influx of students expected with the completion of the 800-home DJ Farms development on 209 acres at the southeastern corner of Highway 166 and Highway 1, diagonally from the Guadalupe Cemetery.

The 60,000-square-foot Spanish mission-style campus will be built in three phases over several years and is designed to house up to 700 students, Superintendent Hugo Lara said.

Phase I plans call for the construction of two classroom wings, an administrative building, a library, a multipurpose room and a kitchen.

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Its price tag hovers at an estimated $14 million.

During Phase II, classroom space for 250 more students will go up.

A gymnasium, a football field and soccer fields will round out the final phase of the project.

Taking on the recent “green” trend, architects specifically designed the layout of the campus to make maximum use of daylight to save energy, and to block gusty winds so teachers can open their classroom windows instead of running the air conditioning, Palazzo said.

Builders also plan to use recycled construction materials wherever practical, he added.

Though construction plans are well underway, it's unclear when ground breaking on the proposed school will actually take place.

“We're a long way from it, but at the same time, we're developing plans,” Lara said. “We're trying to do our part, but there's other forces beyond our control.”

When the new school opens, the district expects to convert Kermit McKenzie - its only junior high school - back to an elementary school, Lara said.

That's because McKenzie was originally an elementary school, and does not have optimal facilities to house junior high programs.

Funds for construction of the proposed school will come from a state hardship grant because the district does not have the tax base to cover construction costs itself.

It became apparent Guadalupe would need a new school when developers of DJ Farms Development submitted a revised specific plan that nearly doubled the number of residences to be built.

Work to develop DJ Farms began around 1993 when the city prepared an environmental impact report for the original DJ Farms specific plan. The plan then called for the construction of 480 homes and 380,000 square feet of commercial space.

That original plan was adopted by the city in 1995 and the land was annexed, but by 2004 the developer had submitted a revised proposal that required a new environmental document and specific plan.

The current plan calls for the construction of 800 homes and 275,000 square feet of commercial space.

Natalie Ragus can be reached at 347-4580 or nragus@santamariatimes.com.

August 16, 2008