Our requests have been shared with AAPS officials. To date, there's been no substantive response.  AAPS released a Follow Up FAQ after public outcry. It isn't good enough.  

What about the webinar videos AAPS put together?  We appreciate the effort to change the site plan to try to preserve some of the Thurston Nature Center and to show more about the building interior and site considerations. However, those don't address the learning environment and safety concerns that the Thurston community will be forced to endure with the current construction plan, nor do they address why staging Thurston is not an option.

If we go with the AAPS District's plan, when will the New Thurston site be finished?

Around 4 years from groundbreaking, according to the presentations and materials available. This includes landscaping and geothermal installation.

If we go with the alternative plan when will the new building be finished?

Around 4 years, New Logan will need to be built first for staging, which would then house Thurston students while the Thurston building is built. The final landscaping design for a plan that builds new Thurston where the old building stands has not been presented yet so that has to be factored in. But the building should be ready in 4 years.

Will the alternative plan delay when Thurston students and teachers move into a new building, even if the grounds are not done?

No, the Thurston community would move into New Logan with our proposed plan in 2 school years, the same time as the District's plan would have us moving into New Thurston. However, with our proposed plan we would not have to endure construction immediately next-door, and would have access to all of the playgrounds and facilities during that time.

Will current Thurston students benefit from the new building if we build using the District's plan?

With the projected 4 years for both the new building and the grounds, it is unlikely that anyone other than kindergartens and first graders will get to use the completed facilities.

How far will the construction site be from the learning environment if children are not staged?

The new building will be located 35 feet from the old building and 20 feet from the fenced Young 5's, ASD, and pre-Kindergarten playground, with the construction perimeter fence even closer. Roughly 50% of classrooms face the construction site, putting our kids in very close proximity to construction noise while they're trying to learn and play during the building process. 

If construction in the District's plan takes 4 years to complete, why do you claim only 2 years in your plan?

The District's plan keeps students in the current Thurston building while the new building is constructed, which takes 2 years. Only once the Thurston students and teachers have moved into the completed new building can demolition, geothermal installation, paving, grading and grounds-work begin on the current building and land it occupies. Geothermal installation at Clague Middle School was supposed to only take a year but has actually taken more than 2, thus the 4 years total with the District's plan. However, if the construction company has access to the entire site and can begin demolition on the current Thurston building first, then geothermal installation and grounds-work can occur at the same time as the new building is constructed according to the District's proposed 2-year schedule for New Logan and New King, both of which include geothermal installation, a new building, and significant changes to the school grounds.

Why might staging be the best option?

Staging would improve health, safety and learning outcomes. Staging could also allow connection between plays structures and play fields, a greater preservation of Nature Center habitats, and reduction in paved surfaces. Even some relatively minor changes to the site layout could dramatically improve the outcomes with these concerns in mind.

Is staging Thurston in New Logan fair to Logan?

We definitely need to work with all schools impacted to come up with the final plan. Currently many Logan families have expressed satisfaction with their current building. They are not over capacity, and the building is in much better shape than old Thurston. 

How would bussing to New Logan during the staging process impact costs?

The biggest advantage we have staging at New Logan is proximity. New Logan is 0.6 miles driving distance and 0.5 miles walking from Thurston. Some current Thurston families are actually closer to New Logan than Thurston. Buses could easily be rerouted for the duration of construction with minimal change and families that drive, walk, or bike would remain in the same neighborhood even with the temporary location change. 

Wouldn't it be good for our kids to watch the construction of their new school?

Yes, and they can still watch it, but at times of their parents choosing, not constantly for the entire time they are supposed to be learning. It can be used as a learning tool in the classroom, not an ever-present distraction.

Is the site for the New Thurston school in the District's plan in an area that floods?

Yes, and the flooding there was considerably worse before the Thurston Nature Center and AAPS worked together to add rain gardens, the Oak Savanna, and berms around the site. These natural features help to re-direct and absorb water to keep the area more dry, but if they are destroyed and paved or built over without proper consideration, the flooding will likely return and increase risk and maintenance cost to the New Thurston building.

Why should we care about the Nature Center? The current site plan has rain gardens and new trees, isn't that enough to offset the destruction of current habitats?

The Thurston Nature Center is a community gem. Generations of AAPS students, including field trips from other schools, have had the opportunity to learn in our outdoor classroom. We've had messages from Thurston Alumni currently working as scientists, telling us that their career choice was directly inspired by their learning in the Nature Center. The loss of habitat is more than a few trees and would destroy the hard work that generations of students, teachers, girl scouts, boy scouts, and neighbors have put into the site for decades. The Nature Center got its start from Dr. William Stapp, the global founder of Environmental Education. The habitats are interconnected and placed strategically to address the ecosystem needs for the wetland areas. Attempts to separate them permanently and into concrete areas, or replace portions of them elsewhere without strategic placement, will result in a diminished site for all future students and wildlife. Find out more here:

https://thurstonnaturecenter.info/

To learn more about William Stapp and his vision for environmental education:

 https://www.pointsoflight.org/awards/dr-william-stapp/