Page 21 - School Planning & Management, October 2017

Rapid City, South Dakota’s North Middle School, a building from 1957, was recently in the midst of a very different outdoor space project, part of about $3-million in work at the school in recent years. Kumar Veluswamy, the district’s facilities service manager, describes multi-pronged construction projects that have created an attractive courtyard space, added more outdoor lighting, solved moisture and air quality issues, and addressed bus and car traffic flows on work to the expansive front grounds of the 60-year-old school.
There were moisture-caused foundation problems that were hap- pening, in part along a section of the school that borders what was a worn courtyard in need of a makeover, so the district took on these and other issues simultaneously. The courtyard project alone, which cost $500,000 and was completed in 2016, was envisioned as a place for various activities and needed ADA accessibility. The district decided to use artificial turf: mowing in the courtyard was time- consuming, and since youngsters tends to gather and play in certain areas, natural turf would, Veluswamy says, “become dirt within a few days after school started.”
First, however, gaining construction access to the inner courtyard posed a challenge. A crane was considered and rejected for various reasons, with Veluswamy guiding a practical solution: removing sections of exterior wall in order to drive trucks and equipment through schoolrooms to and from the courtyard. Steel plates protected interior floors during the project, which took place in the two-month, rainy summer vacation window.
In terms of the courtyard space itself, the result is a custom- designed outdoor area for classes and recreation that celebrates a natural slope with small amphitheatres crafted from donated Black Hills quarry rock. Mature trees, which cast cooling shade, were left intact. Underneath: a SYNLawn artificial turf surface over a recycled base atop gravel and sand. New underground drainage pipes move stormwater away. Implementing the work: civil engineer Renner Associates, Mainline Contracting, and for the front grounds, Hills Materials Company.
Veluswamy, who is clearly proud of the results at the school, says the features of the new courtyard hold down maintenance costs and preclude the need for weed control. “My goal was sus- tainability, longevity, and easy maintenance,” he says. There was
another goal achieved: Providing an outdoor space that youngsters find fun and exciting.
All told, landscaping and other elements can work in concert
to provide solutions, as well as inspiring communication. In fact, A&E’s Eaton describes K-12 outdoor spaces as nothing less than “a critical part” of a school’s role as a “focal point in the community.” He adds, “When a school makes outdoor spaces a priority, it sends a message to the community that this is a place where students and the public alike are welcome; it’s a true community place.” SPM
>> Scott Berman is a freelance writer with experience in educational topics.
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