Let there be light

CEDAR RAPIDS - There won't be marble floors or gold fixtures in the Cedar Rapids school district's new Educational Leadership & Support Center, but there will be light.

A lot of natural light.

Leading a tour of district personnel and school board members Friday morning, architect Mike Gumm pointed out the numerous windows, open floor plan and what will be glass walls throughout the facility.

"One of the directives is to get as much natural light as possible," said Gumm, project sponsor with Shive-Hattery Inc. of Cedar Rapids.

The 169,000-square-foot facility will house all district support services - administration, transportation, buildings and grounds, warehouse and purchasing, printing and graphics, and food and nutrition - replacing facilities that were damaged in the Great Floods of 2008.

District services have been spread throughout the community since the flood, with the majority of offices in temporary trailers at Kingston Stadium.

None of the flooded properties will be used by the district when the support center is finished. The properties, which have been cleaned and maintained, will be sold. Scott Olson, a registered architect and commercial real estate broker with Skogman Commercial Real Estate at the Penthouse, hopes to begin disseminating information packets as early as Monday.

Proceeds from the sale will go into the district's school infrastructure local-option sales tax fund, the same fund that will pay for most of the $44.5 million project. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and state recovery assistance will cover $12.6 million of the cost, if it is finished in time.

Gumm said the project is on schedule.

The shell of the facility is complete with the interior skeleton intact. Several district employees were able to walk into their future offices.

"I just want to get everyone in here," said John Laverty, school board president. "They've been in those trailers for so long."

Walking through what will be the main entrance, Gumm pointed to what will be the boardroom, art gallery and professional development center. These areas will be open to the public in some capacity.

The center will seat 250 people if tables are used or more than 300 with chairs only. This space will likely eliminate the district's need to rent off-site locations for staff training.

The art gallery will feature some of the district's art collection currently stored at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Grant Wood's "Young Corn" will remain at the museum, but an abstract of it will be created by the terrazzo flooring in the main entry.

Glass doors will separate public and personnel access. A security badge will be needed to access district offices.

The building is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but staff who are able will be encouraged to use the stairs. Situating the elevator away from the main plaza will assist with this objective, part of the district's wellness plan.

Board member Gary Anhalt said he was impressed by the progress.

"As we walk through, you can see all the planning that has gone into it," he said. "I'm just amazed at the number of elements that are the result of direct user input."