ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown School Board members criticized early renderings of a new school for looking too much like a prison at Thursday's finance committee meeting.
“When we see things like gates and barriers and things like that, that’s a problem for me,” said school Director Lisa Conover.
Director Phoebe Harris said the building reminded her of the Lehigh County Jail.
Other board members similarly took issue with the proposed school design for its use of brick and a perceived lack of natural light, as well as a gate at the front of the 16.7-acre school site.
This feedback and more came after a presentation from Breslin Architects on the schematic design for a future East Side school, which would serve students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The district’s solicitor is negotiating a contract for Allentown School District to purchase the former Allentown State Hospital property on Hanover Avenue for the school site.
“We want that campus look,” Conover said. “We want our kids to experience something that they’ve never experienced before.”
School directors pictured a building that’s “modern,” “innovative” and “creative.” But that’s not what they got with Thursday's presentation, they said.
“Although we respect all your efforts, what we envision is not exactly what we see,” Director LaTarsha Brown told principal architect Stephen Behrens.
A starting point
In turn, Behrens stressed the schematic design is just a starting point, and his team will incorporate the suggestions of school directors moving forward. The project so far has been focused on land development and programmatic considerations for the inside of the building, he said.
The district is not locked in to any building materials or color schemes yet at this phase, he said.
“I’m very confident in saying that as we move forward with the design with your input and enact other options for your review, this is going to be a spectacular school,” Behrens said.
The three-story building is arranged with a vertical shared-use space connecting two academic wings.
The shared-use space would be home to the gym, cafeteria, library and other facilities. One academic wing would be for students in kindergarten through fifth grade; the other wing would be for students in sixth through eighth grades. There’s room outside for a courtyard between the academic wings.
Behrens said the building would also have sustainable features, like a vegetated “green” roof and energy efficient systems.
Exterior and site layout
Outside the building, there's a large canopy that would serve as weather protection. There’s also a main stair tower that juts up like a mini skyscraper to give the building “a presence in the community that’s visible from a distance,” Behrens said.
There’s also a bus loop and a separate area for car drop-offs, as well as a pedestrian pathway.
The front of the school site closest to Hanover Avenue features a multi-purpose turf athletic field.
Upon entering the school campus, students would be greeted by a gate and plaza area that features a sign and portico.
School directors took issue with the gateway area, saying again it reminded them of a prison.
“We need to engage that pedestrian traffic at the earliest possible [point] and bring them into the campus and ultimately into the building,” Behrens said of this feature.
There’s also a proposed island on Hanover Avenue that will give walkers a safe space to pause when crossing the busy street.
Natural light
School directors also said they wanted more glass incorporated into the building and larger windows.
“I’m seeing a lot more brick than I would want to see,” Board President Andrene Brown-Nowell said. “We want more sunlight coming in on the kids.”
Cononver also stressed the importance of sunlight and cited research showing it “positively impacts students’ performance, behavior and overall well-being.”
Behrens said his team prioritized natural light, and some windows may appear smaller than they are because of the scale of the renderings; but large windows and natural light are “very much a part of the design moving forward.”
The schematic design was listed as an action item on the meeting agenda but was not voted on. Behrens and his team will update their designs to reflect school directors’ feedback, he said. They will also present their design plan in front of the Allentown Planning Commission for the second time in coming weeks.
Other board news
Earlier in the meeting, school directors also approved a parameters resolution, authorizing the future issuance of one or more bond series totaling $135 million for purchasing the East Side school site and constructing the new school building.
Richard Fazio, ASD’s interim chief financial officer, said the district will likely spend less than that amount. Any bonds for the project still need to come before the board for approval. Fazio said he anticipates the district needing about a $15 million bond to purchase the property for the new school, and a larger bond later on to pay for construction, which is targeted to start next fall.
Superintendent Carol Birks said the new school will cost an estimated $100 million.
She also said the district is in the discussion phase for another East Side project – turning Andre Reed Park into an athletic facility for Dieruff High School students. ASD is working with the City of Allentown, which owns the park. The district recently received state funding via the city for a master site plan for the project.
“The city has said they have a commitment to helping us,” she said.
