Valencia High School field house project tabled

December 15, 2009

The Los Lunas Schools Board of Education tonight delayed the architectural design of Valencia High School’s new field house after a board member questioned if the district could squeeze more than a field house out of money allocated for the project.

Board Member Christopher Martinez said during discussion tonight that he would like the district to consider constructing a less expensive field house, possibly a metal facility, as opposed to a typical “brick and mortar” facility.

He suggested the savings might then be used for other athletic facilities, possibly including an auxiliary gym.

The board held a workshop about capital projects, highlighting the field house, on December 7.

At the time, the $2-million project appeared on track with general board consensus on the scope of the project. The board had discussed fast-tracking the project to have it done before the next football season, instead of the expected December completion.

That consensus changed tonight, however, when Martinez said he had spoken with parents and others who envisioned a broader use for the funding.

The board didn’t make any decisions about the project tonight. By the end of the discussion, it voted to table awarding the architectural contract until more discussion could take place.

It’s unclear if the delay in awarding the contract will have any impact on early or timely completion of the project. The project was expected to start during the first week of January.

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