12-Year Plan Update

By Rosalind Cox, Director of Facilities Planning and Construction Management

IT’S AN EXCITING time for the District as large capital facilities projects are underway and will be completed this year. Two new schools and various modernizations are among the projects that the District facilities team have been working on, which will significantly impact the District’s educational programs. Matilda Torres High School Construction for the new Matilda Torres High School continues to make progress. The new high school consists of 10 buildings, which are all at various stages of construction. Buildings A & F were completed this past January with furniture and equipment moving in. Building A, which is the large two-story building off of Road 26, consists of the administration area, lecture hall, library / media center, classrooms and the school based health center. Building F, which is the dining hall, includes a large eating area, food court, grab-n-go speed line area, and large kitchen. The remaining buildings, including the Performing Arts, CTE, Gymnasium, Science and Math, will be completed in July and August of this year. Construction of the 50m pool and warm up pool began in the Fall 2019 and will be completed in August as well. Playfields will be planted this spring. All off-site activities, including the installation of the main sewer and water lines are complete, and traffic signal lights at the intersection of Road 26 / Martin Street and Ellis / D Street are fully operational Madera Technical Exploration Center Construction for the new Madera Technical Exploration Center (Madera TEC) began in August 2019, and is moving along nicely. The first activities were to clear the site and build the building pad. This allowed for the installation of utilities below the foundation. Concrete footings followed and were poured in December and the first part of January (working around rain and muddy conditions). The concrete slab-on-grade was placed in January as well, prior to steel delivery. Steel erection began in January and will be completed this month. Underground site utilities are in place, with off-site work being done now. As soon as the steel structure is complete, exterior walls and roofing will begin allowing for the building to be “dried-in” and interior finishes to begin. Once completed in October, the 42,000 square foot facility will house the District’s 8th-grade students who will be bussed in from their middle school for either their AM or PM daily sessions. The focus of Madera TEC is on integrated hands-on learning through a career-themed lab. The school consists of six labs with large classrooms in between them. The six labs students can choose from are Manufacturing and Engineering, Agriculture, Public Health, Public Safety, Entrepreneurship and Marketing, and Media and Performing Arts. The school will also include a large shop space that will be utilized by the Manufacturing / Engineering and Agriculture students, as well as a large lecture hall for all students and staff to use. Since the facility will not be completed by August, the Madera TEC students will begin at the new Torres High School and then transition to their new school in October. Madera High School CTE Modernization One of Madera High School’s oldest buildings is getting a complete facelift — one that will allow for two new career technical pathways to emerge and for an existing pathway space to be modernized. The first space will be for the Heavy / Medium Truck Service and Repair program, which is a new program that allows students to exit high school with ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certification to help them start their new careers in this trade. This program will have a huge shop space with a lift and alignment rack to work on large-sized trucks. It also includes a classroom space and storage spaces for various equipment and materials. The next space being retrofitted is the new automotive pathway, which will boast a large shop space with various lifts, alignment rack and classroom space. The last space is for the residential and commercial construction pathway, that is currently being operated at Madera High School. This space will also include a large shop area, classroom and outdoor covered space as well. Construction began in June 2019 and significant progress has been made since then. The entire building was gutted and new walls have been framed according to the new floor plan. Automotive lift footings have been completed, plumbing and electrical modifications have been made and a new parking lot entrance area has been created off of N Street to allow the large diesel trucks to enter the new shop space. The project is expected to be completed in July of this year — just in time for students and teachers to use and enjoy their new educational spaces. Madera South High School Stadium Modernization Viewing Madera South High School’s new track and field stadium, it is apparent major improvements have been made. It now boasts a new artificial turf field (with cool infill) for both football and soccer, and a new all-weather track including pole vault, long and high jump pits, shot put and discus areas. New bleachers have been erected that can accommodate over 2,000 spectators, along with a new press box and sound system. Finally, two new restroom / storage buildings bookend the field — one of the buildings, containing a snack bar, is positioned to also serve the adjoining softball field complex. A new ticket booth and new fencing provide security and an entrance to this new modernized stadium — which can now be enjoyed by athletes, parents, and the community for years to come.