HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Another legislative hurdle standing between students and a new Simon Sanchez High School was addressed Thursday evening with lawmakers quickly going over changes to legislation needed for construction of the campus to proceed.
“We need to move on; this has been taking too long,” Maria Gutierrez, vice chairperson of the Guam Education Board, said of the lengthy delays to building the new school.
Sen. Roy Quinata said he’s accepted most of the comments and suggestions from education officials on his Bill 94-37, which aims to simplify the law so the Guam Department of Education can move forward with the project. The measure allows for GDOE to enter directly into a 30-year lease-back financing scheme with a contractor who will build and maintain the school. It also removes red tape such as the insertion of the Guam Economic Development Authority into the financing process.
Another legislative hurdle standing between students and a new Simon Sanchez High School was addressed Thursday evening with lawmakers quickly going over changes to legislation needed for construction of the campus to proceed.
“We need to move on; this has been taking too long,” Maria Gutierrez, vice chairperson of the Guam Education Board, said of the lengthy delays to building the new school.
Sen. Roy Quinata said he’s accepted most of the comments and suggestions from education officials on his Bill 94-37, which aims to simplify the law so the Guam Department of Education can move forward with the project. The measure allows for GDOE to enter directly into a 30-year lease-back financing scheme with a contractor who will build and maintain the school. It also removes red tape such as the insertion of the Guam Economic Development Authority into the financing process.
Design unveiled
A final draft of the design for the school was unveiled during Wednesday night’s hearing by Cedric Cruz, the lead for Taniguchi Ruth Makio Architects. Designs were first presented to students and the public in 2021, and many of the bells and whistles remain intact.
The main change has to do with the discovery of an endangered snail population on the southwest corner of the construction site.
“We’ve adjusted the building layout so that we avoid the snail habitat,” Cruz said.
Three classroom wings, a gymnasium, an auditorium, a cafeteria and an administration building will be built flanking a central courtyard just south of the existing campus during phase one of construction. Students will be moved over upon completion.
After that, phase two will begin with the demolition of the old school and construction of new sports facilities including a football field and a multi-use field for soccer, softball and baseball; four tennis courts and a track. A “credit recovery building” will also provide for night school classes on the north side of the campus.
Responding to concerns about a lack of windows in the design, Cruz said, “I’d like to reassure everyone that there are plenty of windows.”
Quinata asked whether GDOE officials had accepted the design, but no answer was provided during the course of the hearing.
Education board members, and officials with the Department of Public Works, which is helping to oversee the project, had not been informed about the completed designs as late as April 26, Post files show.
Cedric Cruz of Taniguchi Ruth Makio Architects gives a presentation on the design for the new Simon Sanchez High School during a roundtable hearing Thursday, May 18, 2023, at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña.
