Unified Bloomfield Hills High School Proposal Draws Positive Reviews

The much-anticipated plan to consolidate Andover and Lahser high schools under one roof was warmly received by the majority of roughly 50 residents that filled the Doyle Center meeting room Tuesday night.

Consultants for the Bloomfield Hills Schools on Tuesday unveiled a hybrid plan to modernize the current Andover campus and make significant additions to house new areas for sports, academics and performing arts. The school would have two primary floors, is designed for 1,650 students and would take roughly 27 months to build if the current student body is temporarily moved off site.

"The design preserves the feeling of a small school and gives students the best of both worlds; have strong connections to teachers and other students, but benefit from all the things a larger comprehensive high school can provide," said Isaac Williams, of Fielding Nair International.

The new high school would be a combination of 36 percent renovated space and 64 percent new construction, which would include a new east academic wing, 800-seat auditorium, an open cafe, and a new "heart" that connects all major aspects of the structure.

Using computerized models and detailed designs, the consultants walked the audience through what a day in the life of a Bloomfield Hills High School student would be like. And it resonated.

"I think it's fantastic," said Marianne Sacks, an Andover mom whose son will graduate before the new facility opened. "It's a breath of fresh air and really what this community needs."

The Price

The construction plan, in its current state, calls for 331,200 square feet of construction at a base cost of roughly $65 million. Voters would have to approve the construction in a millage vote, tentatively planned for November 2012. In addition, roughly $3 million would be needed to relocate facility operations and upgrade technology. Voters may also be asked to choose "upgrades" in athletic facilities ($7.1 million) and learning communities ($8 million). If selected, those improvements would:

• Replace the existing fieldhouse to accommodate three basketball courts and expand seating capacity to 1,800.
• Increase the new pool (designed for eight lanes) to 12 lanes and expanded seating.
• Replace team locker rooms
• Renovate remaining classrooms and add four learning communities to the seven already existing on the campus.

Not everyone was impressed, and some said the plan is further evidence that the current board should face a recall election for continuing down a path that voters rejected overwhelmingly last fall.

"To me, new is not necessary," Fellin wrote in an email. "This district can afford to maintain, renovate and improve Andover and Lahser as small comprehensive high schools."

The plan also failed to address other critical academic issues like the achievement gap between African American and white students in Michigan Merit Exam scores, and student preparation for college, Fellin noted.

Board members and consultants fielded dozens of questions from the audience ranging from traffic and student enrollment to energy efficiency and district finances.

Despite her staunch support for the plan and the district, Sachs said she left the meeting early out of frustration over some of the questions that didn't focus on the students.

"I see all this work and effort by all these brilliant people and it's frustrating because I don't know that it will ever come to fruition in my lifetime," she said. "These are the same discussions we've been having since 2003 and it's a shame."

What's Next?

Superintendent Rob Glass said he would take the schematic design to public meetings at the middle schools in December, January and February for feedback, and to gauge overall voter support.

In the meantime, he will lead a team to develop a "plan B" in case the millage fails. That would likely mean splitting the student body between both the Andover and Lahser campuses while still maintaining one combined Bloomfield Hills High School.