Anchorage Daily News

PALMER -- With a stone-and-timber façade and interior spaces complete with wooden beams, a stone fireplace and a climbing wall, the design for the new Susitna Valley Junior/Senior High School seems more a lodge than a school.

"It fits in with the outdoor lifestyle that we had envisioned for the look of this school," said Steve Harrison, a Su Valley gym teacher and coach.

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board approved the design -- prepared by McCool Carlson Green Architects -- at its 35 percent-complete stage Wednesday.

The new school will replace the old Su Valley, which was destroyed by fire in June.

Insurance covers the cost to build a replacement school of roughly 50,000 square feet. The total cost of the project is undetermined, but the School District is authorized by the state Department of Education to spend up to $27 million, according to the School Board.

While School Board members praised the overall design, the climbing wall and the fireplace troubled some.

Both are centrally located in the plan -- the climbing wall in the lobby, and the fireplace in the open-area media center adjacent the lobby and school commons.

CLIMBING IN LOBBY

Having a climbing wall in an open area invites trouble, said board member Colleen Hamblen, who cast the lone vote against the design. It's better suited for a gym, which is always supervised when in use and can be locked down when not in use, she said.

Harrison, during the public comment period that preceded the School Board discussion, said tucking the wall away in the gym would defeat the purpose of having one.

Harrison is among about 30 Su Valley community members and teachers who, along with borough and School District officials, serve on a design committee for the new school.

Situating the climbing wall in the lobby, he said, has overwhelming support from community members.

"It has to do with our ties to Talkeetna's history. We have a very rich climbing history in Talkeetna," he said.

Like Mount McKinley, the climbing wall would tower over the commons and the media center and be visible from many vantage points within the school.

"Tucking it away in the gym defeats the purpose," he said.

There are ways to mitigate the safety risks, he said.

A mat system, for example, could cover the bottom 8-foot portion of the wall, he said.

The mats could be locked in place after school or when the wall is not in use, he said.

Another option, he said, would be to install an electronic eye similar to those found in garages at the 8-foot mark. When the eye senses someone at that height, an alarm would sound.

Both are reasonable options, said John Weir, one of the principal architects on the Su Valley design project. In fact, the mat system is in place in most elementary schools with climbing walls in Anchorage, he said Thursday.

But both the School District and the borough have weighed in with concerns about the wall, Weir said. "It's fair to say this will continue to be a source of discussion," he said.

'BARNES AND NOBLE FEEL'

And the fireplace, which Hamblen and School Board vice president Cheryl Turner oppose, is a source of discussion as well.

Having a fireplace in a school presents an inherent safety risk, Turner and Hamblen said. Architect Michael Carlson said Wednesday that the firm is aware of the risk and is exploring ways to mitigate it.

The fireplace is another feature that Harrison says is key to the aesthetics of the building. It gives the media center "sort of a Barnes and Noble feel," he said.

But School District and borough officials have said having a fireplace in a school is just too risky, said Keith Rountree, the borough public works director.

"In my mind it's out," Rountree said Thursday.

The Borough Assembly must give final approval on the design. It will consider the 35 percent design Dec. 18, Rountree said.

Weir, though, said the fireplace holds so much appeal in the Su Valley community that the architects will, if need be, find some other way to create its aesthetic value.

"I think at the end of the day you may not see an actual fireplace, but you'll get the sense that that's a hearth or the heart of the building," he said.

The architects will work with the design team to address all the safety concerns before finalizing the design, he said: "It's about building confidence in the safety."

The final design should be complete by February, Weir said, and the project should go to bid by spring. The new school is expected to open in fall 2009.

Find Becky Stoppa online at adn.com/contact/bstoppa or call 352-6708.