Anchorage School District logo ASD Online -- The Website of the Anchorage School District
Site Index | Site Options | Contact Us
Home | Schools | Departments | About ASD | School Board | myASD

Girdwood K-8

Project Status Report to the Anchorage School Board - June 13, 2011

Project name Girdwood K-8 school renewal
Project description Conceptual Master Plan for renewal of existing school
Project budget Original: $49,000 Current: $349,000
Design status

The final draft master plan and educational specifications are being reviewed by the school.  Presentations of the master plan were made to the Girdwood Board of Supervisors and Land Use Committee.  The master plan will be submitted for School Board and Assembly approval in 2011.

Schedule The final draft Master Plan is completed.

Draft Master Plan development

Girdwood renewal documents

Educational specifications
Educational specifications (PDF)
spacer

Floor plans
Floor plans (PDF)

  Site Master Plan
Site Master Plan (PDF)

Girdwood Elementary School is located on a 27-acre site in Girdwood.  The school was originally built with five classrooms in 1981 and another four were added in 1985.  The existing nine-classroom school delivers kindergarten through eighth grade educational programs.  The school facility serves more than educational programs; as with many schools in rural areas with modest populations, it also serves as a center of Girdwood’s community.

Girdwood is continuing to mature beyond its origin as a seasonal resort by developing a permanent year-round population base. Currently near capacity, the school will need to expand to accommodate a resulting increased enrollment.

With planning monies obtained by legislative grants and a voter-approved bond issue, the school district retained Kumin Associates Inc. in January 2009 to provide planning and design services.  BrainSpaces Inc. was also retained to facilitate the school community’s creation of in-depth visions.  These visions became a basis for developing educational specifications, which define the educational program in physical terms, describing ideal environments and linking the program to architecture. Using this information and continuing to work with the school community, conceptual Master Plan options were developed and refined to the currently proposed plans.

The resulting Master Plan modifies the site, renovates 29,000 square feet and adds 27,000 square feet to the facility, reflecting educational specifications.  New square footage expands existing classrooms, adds classrooms, gym, resource, learning and support areas.

What is a school master plan?
A school renewal Master Plan is a long-range planning document that illustrates how the school will physically meet defined educational goals and objectives through a renewal program.  One goal of a school Master Plan is to recognize that educational program delivery methods and curriculum components may change over time, and allow, as best it can, for flexibility to meet those changes.

What is the status of Girdwood K-8 School Renewal project’s Master Plan?
The final draft Master Plan and educational specifications are being reviewed by the school.  Presentations of the Master Plan were made to the Girdwood Board of Supervisors and Land Use Committee.  The Master Plan will be submitted for school board and assembly approval in 2011.

For additional information:
Mary Cary, ASD facility projects manager, 907-348-5200, cary_mary@asdk12.org

Bond information

April 2010
Proposition 2 failed
Funds building life extension and design projects districtwide - $16,865,000

Design projects would have laid the groundwork for future renovation of Girdwood K-8 and Airport Heights, Gladys Wood and Inlet View elementary schools. Within this proposed proposition, the board expanded the administration's request by $600,000 to fund the design of career, technical and vocational education for the West/Romig campus, bringing the total CTVE design funding for the joint campus to $1.2 million.

April 2009
Proposition 1 failed
Proposition 1 would have funded $680,000 for school design at Girdwood K-8:

  • This project would complete the design for the school's long-term needs and provide a cost basis for future construction funding requests. Previous voter-approved bonds funded development of a Master Plan

Visit Girdwood's web site

 

Past Bond Information

April 2008
Proposition 2 passed April 1, 2008
Proposition 2 would include funding for renewal, addition & design at three schools, including the following at Girdwood K-8:

  • Design to meet future student demands

April 2007
The April 2007 bonds did not include funds for any projects at Girdwood School.

April 2006
Proposition 10 would have renovated and expanded two elementary schools, and design and plan several other school renewal projects. At Girdwood K-8:

  • School planning (Proposition 10 failed April 2006)

November 2004
The November 2004 bond did not include funds for any projects at Girdwood K-8.

April 2004
The projects proposed in Proposition 4, 5, and 6 were researched by professional engineers and facility managers, reviewed by citizens on the Capital Request Advisory Committee, and publicly scrutinized and approved by the School Board and Assembly. The following is a list of projects for Girdwood:

  • Planning (Proposition 5 failed April 6, 2004.)
  • Upgrade boiler burners (Proposition 4 passed April 6, 2004.)
  • Electrical upgrade (Proposition 4 passed April 6, 2004.)

April 2003
Propositions 9, 10 and 11 were developed with the support of the Capital Request Advisory Committee (made up of parents, students and a good cross section of community members), the Anchorage School Board and the Anchorage Assembly. Proposition 9 funds repair and major maintenance projects at most schools districtwide. Proposition 9 passed April 1, 2003.

  • Asbestos/Code/ADA/Fire Sprinklers
  • Electrical
  • Mechanical
  • Traffic safety
  • Emergency shelters

April 2002
Propositions 5 and 6 were developed with the support of the Capital Request Advisory Committee (which represents parents, students and a good cross section of community members), the Anchorage School Board and the Anchorage Assembly. This rigorous public process helps ensure that the most critical needs throughout the municipality are addressed and that the community's investment in school facilities is protected. Propositions 5 and 6 passed April 2, 2002.

  • Minor Renewal
  • Public Sewer/Water
  • Playground Remediation


Anchorage School District logo