How many students can you stuff in a high school? At Oak Harbor High School, 1,808 students fill a school built for 1,000.

Even with an expansion in 1990-91, the current high school has outlived its life expectancy and needs to be remodeled, school board members say. They are asking the community to support the remodel by voting for a $45 million bond levy March 11. Another $12 million would come from state funds set aside for school construction, based on square footage allotments, but that money is only available if voters approve the local share first.

If the levy passes, the full project is scheduled for completion by September 2007. Students who are in the sixth grade now would be the first graduating class, in 2010.

The school board puts the need for the high school remodel into three categories:

l Improving the school as a learning environment. The high school is overcrowded, with narrow hallways and insufficient classroom, lunchroom and bathroom space. The technology systems are outdated and overloaded. Twelve teachers do not have their own classrooms, even though staffing is below full level.

l Protection of the community’s investment in the high school. The 30-year-old building is deteriorating faster than it can be maintained, and all major systems have reached the limits of their life expectancy. If these systems are not replaced the building will continue to deteriorate, becoming more expensive to maintain.

B- Preserving the health and safety of students and staff. The high school does not meet current codes for earthquake or fire protection, or air quality. The continued structural deterioration poses a threat to health from cold, water intrusion, poor ventilation and poor lighting. Campus security is compromised with 72 access points, making it nearly impossible to control who comes and goes. Many facilities do not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

To address these shortcomings, the school board proposes a remodel that would result in a 53,525 square footage net gain, bringing the total to around 260,500 square feet.

Bellevue architect Carlos Sierra has donated approximately 500 hours thus far to sketch out a plan which calls for a combination of renovation, demolition and new construction. Sierra has worked with the Oak Harbor School District before, on the redesign of five elementary schools.

School district project manager Gary Goltz has worked with the design team for the past year, and feels they have come up with a good plan.

“This is as good as it gets in utilizing existing facilities and phasing in construction to minimize impact and costs, resulting in a facility that meets the needs of education in the community,” Goltz said.

The multi-phase project means students will be able to stay at the high school during construction, instead of having to be taught in portables, which Goltz said can cost “millions.”

He also said using as much of the existing structure as possible would save money.

“To tear down a school with structural value is not a prudent use of people’s money,” he said.

Here’s where students would go during construction:

* During phase one, students will remain in the existing high school while new classroom space is built north and west of the gym.

* In phase two, students will move into the new classrooms while old classrooms are remodeled.

* In phase three students will use both new and remodeled portions of the building, while several wings are demolished entirely. Finally, construction equipment will move out of the playing field and parking areas, which will be refurbished in conjunction with the building of a sports complex.

The plan calls for the parking lot being expanded from 400 parking spots to 850. This expansion could be done as early as next summer so construction equipment could use the area, and it would be paved after construction is completed.

A performing arts center, which could be used by the community, is designed to be built in the existing school courtyard adjacent to the gym.

Goltz said the school is being designed for 1.800 students, the current enrollment, because the district doesn’t anticipate that enrollment will grow significantly, based on state enrollment projections.

Should enrollment grow beyond that, Goltz said structurally there is growing room built into the plan.

“We don’t foresee future growth, but that doesn’t mean we’re not making accommodations,” he said.

For example, planners realize technology changes faster than a new school can be built.

Goltz said they are looking at all state-of-the-art technology systems, but not banking on any one. They plan on installing an infrastructure that can be upgraded in the future.

“We want to keep it flexible for the future,” Goltz said. “We know technology always changes.”

Currently, middle school students have access to the latest computer technology, but when they get to the high school they find a downgrade in equipment, overcrowded computer labs and inadequate wiring to handle computer needs.

The $57 million price tag for the project represents a median between a bare minimum remodel for $35 million, and a complete new high school for $81 million.

Goltz said that based on a 4 percent per year inflation factor for construction costs, delaying the project by five years would add another $10 million. If the project gets started next summer, it would be within the original $57 million estimate.

You can reach News-Times reporter Marcie Miller at mmiller@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611