From: Susan Cousins
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2009 11:36
AM
To: Susan Cousins
From:
Don Orr
Sent:
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 3:55 PM
To:
'cdbrod@mtbconsulting.com'
Cc:
Tom Blahak; Don Orr; Mario Cappella[mcappella@a-p.com]; Bennett, Martha; Sandy
Ripplinger; Scott Rodwin (scott@rodwinarch.com); Susan Cousins; Weber Williams,
Anne
Subject:
RE: Additional site design considerations
Hello
Dave and Carolyn -
Thank
you for contacting us with your concerns. Our goal with the design advisory
team (DAT) process is to bring to the discussion the many perspectives of the
school's stakeholders. This is why we have included several neighbors on our
design advisory team along with staff and parents. Your perspective as a
neighbor from the north side of the school also is valuable to us. Thank you
for sharing it.
On
every project there are always a number of competing concerns: the preferences
of individual stakeholders, neighbors, owners, students and staff; there are
site issues like the floodplain, open space, traffic, and the preservation of
trees and views; there are the very substantial issues such as the budget,
building code, schedule, public safety, sustainability, and in this particular
case, above all the primary goal, to create the best school possible for
Columbine students.
The
design team will take every neighbor's comments seriously and try to find a
solution that optimally satisfies the greatest number of the issues
above.
You
are welcome to attend DAT meetings and can review meeting minutes on the
Columbine page of the BVSD Bond Program website at: http://bvsd.org/bondproject/schools/Pages/columbine.aspx.
Thanks
again for your interest in Columbine Elementary.
Don
Orr
Executive
Director of Bond Planning
Engineering
& Construction
Boulder
Valley School District
(303)
447-5062
-----Original
Message-----
From:
David & Carolyn Brodie [mailto:]
Sent:
Sunday, April 05, 2009 2:03 PM
To:
DAT Columbine
Subject:
Additional site design considerations
Although
we are not members of the committee we feel as neighbors on
Glenwood
(thirty years in August), we would like to ask that the same
consideration
be given to those to the north of the school, as well as
all
in the surrounding neighborhood; i.e., that their views to the
southwest
be preserved. With the proposed location of the building,
this
would mean being careful with the height and where the highest
point
is located. We are given to understand that a two story
building
is contemplated and with the additional height of the
gymnasium
a significant prominence might result. Our understanding
is
that the mass of the building would likely NOT be on the east
side.
If the highest point is on the west side, and especially if it
is
higher than the existing gym, it will significantly alter the views
of
those living on Glenwood. We would like to request that special
attention
should be given to the character of the overall
neighborhood,
i.e., mainly low-profile ranch houses. A massively tall
structure
would not fit into this aesthetic. The original bylaws of
the
Highland addition to Boulder precluded any residential structure
from
two story height with the resultant bi/tri levels that you see
today.
As
residents on the north we are given to understand that there is not
anyone
on your committee from the north side and we hope this lack of
representation
does not alter nor skew your final design decisions.
We
commend you all for the long, hard and fair manner in approaching
the
arduous task of building a new school.
Thank
you for considering our concerns.
Dave
and Carolyn Brodie
2055
Glenwood Drive
Boulder,
CO 80304