Golden Valley City Council Approves Breck Expansion

The Golden Valley City Council has approved a plan to expand the campus. According to the plan submitted to the council, the Episcopal school wants to demolish and rebuild the upper school, making it two floors higher than the current building stands now. 

Highlights of the expansion include:

• Two additional floors to support Breck’s math and science curriculum
• Renovated media center that will support increasing use of technology
• A greater number of smaller classrooms, faculty space and meeting space
• Two environmentally friendly “green” roofs that will also support science curriculum
• Consolidation of upper school administrative services
• Updated electrical and mechanical systems

, residents have expressed concerns about traffic and construction noise.

Golden Valley Resident Jim Vos says, “I’d also like to see the peacefulness of our neighborhood, and the safety of residents and children at Natchez Park, protected through modest restrictions to the contractors doing the work.”

The height of the new addition will reach 70 feet, which residents say will negatively affect the look of the landscape.

Aside from aesthetic issues, residents say they are concerned about future expansion plans, since this project is being called "phase one." Breck’s Head of School Edward Kim was asked about future projects at the meeting and told the council the school doesn’t have any concrete plans.

“It took Breck 30 years to get to this point of the expansion,” Kim said. “We have to access our next step carefully.”

Phase one doesn’t call for an increase in enrollment, but residents like Kevin Hudalla aren’t convinced that won’t happen in the future.

“I am concerned as to how much “expansion” will be occurring over the coming years, especially when it seems as if Breck is not all that forth coming,” he said. “One concern is the possibility of this phase opening a flood gate for additional future expansion.”

After two hours of discussion, the city council did approve the project. Councilman Mike Freiberg reassured residents by saying any additional changes that could impact enrollment would need to go through the same approval process.

Construction is scheduled to start this June and be completed by September of 2014. During that time, Breck plans to continue with business as usual, and will construct temporary classes in the field house.