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Uploaded: Friday, January 18, 2013, 1:10 AM
Updated: Friday, January 18, 2013, 10:50 AM
SRVUSD poised to begin preliminary work on new school, Stone Valley renovation
Board approved $75 mllion initial borrowing
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by Glenn Wohltmann
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 | By the end of next month, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District should be taking the first steps toward building a $31 million elementary school and a $43.5 million renovation project at Stone Valley Middle School.
"There's a lot of work on these projects that goes before putting a shovel in the dirt," said SRVUSD Board President Ken Mintz.
A draft timeline calls for the district to hire architects to begin designing the new school, with an eye toward breaking ground in spring 2014 and completion by the fall of 2015.
"It takes about 30 months or so on a new school," Mintz said. "You really hope to have it done by the middle of summer, so you can move students into it."
Renovations to Stone Valley should begin by June 2015, according to the timeline.
"Stone Valley is an older school and a lot of that site needs an upgrade. It's going to be phased in," Mintz said, explaining that the school will be in use while the renovations are being done. That calls for careful planning about what happens when.
"It will take some time. Early on, we'll be doing design plans and that sort of thing," he said.
The timeline calls for the first phase to wrap up in late 2016; the second phase will begin in early 2016 and is expected to be completed by late 2017.
Among the other work that's expected to begin soon is technology upgrades for schools across the district, new security cameras and work to make the entire district compliant with the American with Disabilities Act.
Voters approved Measure D, the $260 bond measure to pay for work district wide, on Nov. 6. Now, the school board is trying to decide the most prudent way to borrow the money.
Mintz said the board made two commitments to voters: to keep the entire borrowing at less than $75 per $100,000 of asessed valuation. That includes paying off existing bonds in addition to the new borrowing.
The board also committed to paying off all of its bonds in 25 years.
It looked at three options for its borrowing, which includes using current interest bonds, CIBs, which pay dividends every year, using capital appreciation bonds, CABs, which allow payments to be deferred while interest accrues, or allow for a combination of both.
The board approved issuing $75 million in bonds at its meeting on Tuesday. It's waiting for information from the experts before deciding which option it would take for the remainder of the borrowing, although for its first round, it's using CIBs alone.
Mintz said the current consensus of the board is ultimately to use a combination. He said that plan would also allow for a use of all CIBs if it chooses.
Using only CIBs could cause problems, he said, because paying interest annually would limit the amount of money that can be borrowed while keeping its two commitments.
He said it makes sense to borrow as much as possible while the economy is still soft and construction companies are bidding low on project.
"We want to take advantage of the current economic environment and spending more sooner appears to do that," he said.
But CABs may be on their way out.
California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer calls CABs the school district equivalent of a payday loan. Recent stories have shown some districts that used them as a way of borrowing are paying 10 times the value of the bond.
In one case, a school district in the San Diego area is paying $1 billion for a $100 million bond.Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Dirka_Dirka, a resident of San Ramon, on Jan 18, 2013 at 12:19 pm So, how about the school's physical security plan? What was the budget as a percentage of the build? How well was this school designed to deal with modern problems? Other than Fire Alarm, I would gather to estimate that this was a total oversight. I am hoping to be wrong!
Have we thought about hardened class room doors? 3m makes fabulous films for glass windows. Hmmmmmmm........... Simple planning can go a long ways and this community has the resources to make a significant investment in physical security. However, this is always viewed as a grudge investment in Kalifornia. I like goat curry, but this is food for thought.
Dirka Dirka
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Posted by Wise Guy, a resident of San Ramon, on Jan 19, 2013 at 7:19 pm Perhaps they've already included those plans and just don't feel that you're important enough that they need to clear them with you.
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Posted by Dirka_Dirka, a resident of San Ramon, on Jan 19, 2013 at 8:45 pm Wise Guy, is that the best you can do? The Dirka says his goat poops more relevant content that your panty-waste shot at my opinion. It is a fact that the security plan sucks goat bottom. Prove me wrong panty-waste un-wise guy. My goat passes gas in your genral direction.
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Posted by Wise Guy, a resident of San Ramon, on Jan 20, 2013 at 6:02 pm The best I can do? Not at all. How about you tear yourself away from the posterior of your much-beloved goats and provide your "facts" about the security plan.
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Posted by Dirka_Dirka, a resident of San Ramon, on Jan 20, 2013 at 7:24 pm I asked you to prove it and you didn't, more of the same goat poop Mr. UnWise Guy. There is no plan for hardening security, that was my point. Prove me wrong, wait, no you didn't, because you can't. My goat's poops are more relevant than your sad commentary.
And by the way, I have every right to make comments regarding school security. I have kids in school and the plan sucks, because there are no physical resources, or budget for physical resources to protect our schools. It is always an afterthought you blow hard simpleton. The Dirka is sick and tired of all you politican weasles out here that think you have the right idea. Wise guy, I bet you are a politician, or a good friend of one. They are the only folks that do not think they are accountable to their consituancy.
Dirka Dirka rides again!
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Posted by AnneMurphy, a resident of San Ramon, on Jan 21, 2013 at 10:21 am As a mother of three school age children I have serious concerns with school security. I think a good point has been raised by Dirka. Dirka is certainly entertaining to read. Some have said Dirka for Mayor. Dirka would be the funniest Mayor we ever had and if you look past the jokes, D makes a lot of sense. Dirka, keep challenging the status quo.
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Posted by Wise Guy, a resident of San Ramon, on Jan 21, 2013 at 12:06 pm Sure Dirka, I'm a politician. Believe whatever you want, doesn't really make a difference to me. However, where are your facts that I asked for? "There are no plans because I say there aren't," doesn't cut it. I don't know one way or the other and it's quite obvious you don't either.
Come on, tear yourself away from your goat and show us those facts. Better yet, I googled it and the school district is looking for people to provide oversight on Measure D plans. Perhaps you come up our of your mom's basement and apply since you're so civic-minded.
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Posted by Wise Guy, a resident of San Ramon, on Jan 21, 2013 at 7:29 pm Nope, I stand by my original statement - you aren't important enough to bother wasting their time sharing their plans with you. And since they have yet to hire architects, I highly doubt there are any bid specs anywhere. I stand by my statements that you're a fool and don't have a clue what you're talking about. So feel free to resume your deviant lifestyle with your goat(s.)
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