Fairmeadow Elementary School

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Fairmeadow Elementary School

 500 East Meadow Drive

 Built: 1950, 1956, 1972, 2003, 2012

Total Site Area:

5.5 Acres

Building Area/Miscellaneous Circulation

1.8

Parking Area

0.4

Hard-Court Play Area

1.3

Turf Play Area

2.0

 

Building Area:                          41,237 SF (After SSB Project)

Existing Classroom Size           960 to 1440 SF

2006/2007 Enrollment:           447

 

Fairmeadow Elementary School is comprised of six permanent single-story buildings and a two-story building set in an elongated U configuration around a central playground.  The site is on East Meadow, with J.L Stanford Middle School and Mitchell Park on the other boundaries. Fairmeadow was built in 1950

In 1950, the Administration building and two classroom wings were built as part of the original campus. Replacements, new construction and modernization have occurred in the intervening years. The Multipurpose building was built in 1956 along with a Library Resource building in a relocatable. In 1972, the Jackson Hearing Center was constructed along the boundary with J.L. Stanford.

As part of the Building for Excellence program in 2003, existing classrooms and the Administration building were renovated, and a new Library building was constructed.  A modular classroom was added to accommodate growth in the summers of 2007 and 2008. A two-story classroom wing consisting of 8 classrooms was built in 2011 as part of the Strong Schools bond program to increase the capacity of the school. The old Jackson Hearing Center was re-programmed into standard classrooms and space for educational specialists.

There are two oversized relocatable buildings that house the Bessie Bolton Child Care facility.

Needs Summary

The administration and multipurpose facilities are undersized and the site does not currently have any enrichment labs except for a PTA funded Science classroom.

Proposed masterplan projects include:

  • Demolition of existing admin and old Jackson Hearing Center
  • New multipurpose building with two enrichment labs
  • New admin and resource center building
  • Conversion of existing multipurpose room into two classrooms
  • Learning center addition to existing two-story building
  • Modernization of existing classrooms
  • A/C throughout
  • Exterior envelope improvements
  • Accessible playground

PAUSD plans air conditioning installation at all schools. In conjunction with the air conditioning work the campus will require energy efficiency upgrades including envelope improvements such as new doors and windows, as well as solar panel installation. Classroom modernization will also include an upgraded technology infrastructure and equipment including projectors and LED screens.

Site work includes new paving, accessible playground, and planting.

Facilities Conditions

The school is located on East Meadow and is adjacent to the Jane Lathrop Stanford (JLS) Middle School campus.  The student drop- off and parking area are located at the front of the school in a configuration that causes congestion on E. Meadow. Drop off and pick up times need to be coordinated with JLS to avoid excessive traffic.   

The asphalt parking lot on campus is small, but street parking along East Meadow provides the balance of parking spaces for faculty and staff. The hardcourts were last resurfaced in 2003 and are showing some signs of fatigue. The redtop areas under the canopy are cracked in some areas and should be replaced as the paving deteriorates. Paving areas on the backside of the upper wing and near Bessie Bolton day care facilities were replaced in 2012 and are in good condition.

The sanitary sewer and domestic water system is original, and has not been replaced.  The domestic water backflow preventer was installed in 1989, but original galvanized piping remains from 1950’s at the front of the school. These lines should be evaluated and replaced if necessary.  The fire water lines and hydrants on site were added in 2003 and should not require any new work. A new electrical service was also provided to the site in 2013.  The gas service is run overhead exposed on the roof and was installed in 1976.  The site drainage around the campus has some local areas of ponding, but generally appears to be in good condition as a result of the improvements made during the 2012 project.

The existing buildings on the Fairmeadow Elementary School campus are in generally good condition, having just recently been renovated or constructed as part of the Strong Schools bond program.  However, these projects did not address several areas of the campus, which will need to be addressed with future funding. 

All of the buildings on campus have new built up roofing or metal roofing, hollow metal doors and a painted stucco or block exterior.  The original windows were left in place in the two original classroom wings and include the original single pane glazing.  This is causing significant air infiltration and heat loss, which impacts the heating systems for the buildings during cold weather. 

The campus was also made accessible during the 2013 project, with path of travel and restroom upgrades throughout the campus. In the 2003 project, voluntary seismic upgrades were undertaken for the classroom buildings and canopy structures, except for the Multipurpose building.

The campus has two major classroom wings that surround the central play areas, and the Jackson Hearing Center, a semi-circular third wing of odd-shaped classrooms.  The two original classroom wings have large windows running the length of the exterior walls and have volume ceilings and clerestory windows in each classroom.  Toward the center of campus, each classroom opens below a large canopy, where picnic tables are arranged outside each classroom to serve as an outdoor learning area for each classroom space.  The old Jackson Hearing Center consists of six large classrooms and five smaller classrooms and is located adjacent to the service road along the southwest boundary that separates Fairmeadow from Stanford Middle School.

The classroom interiors in the original classroom wing were last modernized in 2003, with flooring, wall surfaces, markerboards, furnace units, lighting, power and data distribution upgrades.  Portions of the casework were replaced with new plastic laminate units, with the remaining casework left in place as painted wood.  The glue up acoustic ceiling tiles were either replaced or left in place, and painted to appear uniform, diminishing the acoustic qualities of the tiles.  Renovation work in the Jackson Hearing Center was updated again in 2013 to make them suitable as general classrooms.

The Library was constructed originally in 2003, but at 2,571 SF was too small for the expanded campus; therefore, a 500 SF addition was constructed during the 2012 project.

The Administration area was last updated with new flooring, casework and paint in 2003. Mechanical equipment, plumbing and lighting were replaced throughout. 

The Multipurpose building at 2,666 SF is undersized for the current campus capacity and is slated for demolition and replacement in the location of the old Jackson Hearing Center.