On November 6, 2012, the voters of the Sonora Union High School District approved the issuance of $23 million in general obligation bonds to finance school facility improvements. The district programs and facilities include a 100 year old comprehensive high school, an alternative education campus that houses Cassina Alternative High School, Bird Independent Study High School, and the Sonora Adult School. The district also supports a middle college program at Columbia College, a transportation center that serves the entire county, a cosmetology program on Shaw’s Flat Road and a school ranch on Ward’s Ferry Road.
Project Selection
The district hosted a number of community meetings in 2010 and 2011 to discuss the district’s facilities. District staff had identified more than 21 different facilities that could be supported with bond supported construction dollars. From the list, groups of stakeholders including students, educators and community members refined the list down to five large core projects on the Sonora High School campus. The four projects were the Humanities building, the stadium track and field, the swimming pool and the cafeteria. The Sonora Union High School District Board of Trustees approved a bond plan for these four projects over the next five years.
Survey and Design
The district contracted with WLC Architects of Folsom California to complete planning, survey and estimation work for the five projects. During the survey work in the spring and summer of 2013, a number of different construction plans were proposed based on available bond dollars, consideration for limiting the negative impact on student programs and the intelligent use of funding. The board approved a phasing plan that puts the Humanities Building first, the Track and Field second, and the cafeteria third. The final phase will see the pool completed.
