Archived FAQs

Burns Park Elementary

• BUR #6. When is work starting?

  The current plan is to start construction during Summer of 2027.

Dicken Elementary

• DIC #8. What about Geothermal borehole noise?

  The AAPS will work to keep construction noise to a minimum and will adhere to City of Ann Arbor Noise Ordinance while providing notice to our neighbors, in advance of when this temporary construction activity will be scheduled.

King Elementary

• KIN #7. Are natural buffers planned for neighbors?

  The District anticipates more plantings than currently exist on the site, with enhanced natural buffers where feasible.

• KIN #3. Will parents be able to visit old Logan, maybe in an Open House setting, to understand where their children will stage for 2 years?

  The District anticipates opportunities will be available for families in advance of the staging school year.

• KIN #2. What is the timing of the project?

  Two years of planning will conclude in early Winter 2027, followed by two years of construction. The new building is slated to be ready for occupancy for the start of the 2029 / 2030 school year.

Lakewood Elementary

• LAK #3. What is the distance for buses?

  The bus drop-off and pick-up lane will be located approximately 40′ from neighboring property lines.

Lawton Elementary

• LAW #41. Permanent Park Use: What is the exact acreage and percentage of the 5.28-acre public park that AAPS proposes to use permanently (e.g., via easement or transfer)?

  School grounds and Lawton Park are currently used by the school and community. Underground easements such as the watermain, underground utilities, and underground storm water storage easements will not impact neither the school’s nor the community’s use of the shared grounds, other than during construction. A conceptual plan shared with the community as part of recent engagements showed roughly 26% of the Park used for this purpose. Final configurations are not yet set, but expected revisions are being explored to lessen shared use of the Park via the Community Connector to an estimated 15% or below, based on community feedback. Unless the additional Park improvements are identified as part of this project, the remaining 4.53 acres of the Park would remain configured roughly as they are today, following restoration after construction is complete. The City of Ann Arbor’s approval is required for any proposed temporary and permanent configurations.

• LAW #40. Temporary Park Use During Construction: What is the proposed acreage and duration of temporary park use during construction (e.g., for staging, access)?

  Roughly 50% of the Park, predominately on the West and South sides, will be requested as a temporary construction access and marshalling area for the two years of construction. Access is proposed from Mershon.

• LAW #39. Green Space Impact: What is the current acreage of green space on the combined school/park parcel, and how much green space will remain under the proposed plan?

  Of the 12.0 acres of combined school and Park property, roughly 3.0 acres is currently comprised of impervious area (paved areas plus the building structure), leaving roughly 75% as greenspace (roughly 9.0 acres). There is no impervious area currently on City parkland. The proposed plan currently includes between 5.0 and 5.4 acres of impervious area, leaving between 55% and 58% as greenspace (6.6 to 7.0 acres). Less than 1.0 acre of the 2.0 to 2.4 acre impervious area change is proposed to be located on City parkland in the form of a Community Connector, which doubles as a required fire access route. 80% of the increase in impervious area will be located on AAPS property, attributable to required fire access routes, safety-related parking / driveway improvements, and a marginally larger building footprint.

• LAW #38. Paved Surfaces Comparison: How many square feet of paved surfaces (parking lots, roads, sidewalks, hard courts) currently exist on the site, and how many are proposed under the updated plan?

  The existing site includes 0.6 acre of pavement for vehicle use, including buses, parents, staff parking, and vendors. There are an additional 1.6 acres of pavement currently on site, for sidewalks used by walkers and bikers and for blacktop area used for play. The current plan includes roughly 1.7 acres of pavement for vehicle use, including buses, parents, staff parking, and vendors. The plan also includes roughly 2.2 acres of pavement for sidewalks used by walkers and bikers and for blacktop area used for play. Some of the pavement in this category doubles as Fire Lane, but none of it is intended for regular vehicle use.

• LAW #27. If the primary justification of this project is to improve conditions for students and teachers, why does achieving those goals require an all-new building?

  AAPS students and staff can spend 80% or more of the school day inside a school building. Lawton is 62 years old and in need of significant systemic capital needs identified through the facility condition assessment, conducted in 2018. The configuration and construction type of the existing building presents more challenges to meeting the the District’s objectives than can be mitigated in a renovation project. These include difficulties improving energy performance, improving indoor air quality, adding fire suppression, improving security, and creating spaces expected for 21st-Century Teaching and Learning, among others

• LAW #26. You say this is a green project, but how green can it be if you’re demolishing the existing school?

  The construction style, type and age of the existing school building create a number of barriers to adaptive reuse or deep retrofit efforts to support a healthy, high performance learning environment for Lawton students and staff. The additions to the original building were needed at the time of construction, but are now at or near the end of useful life. Not only will the new school building meet the green building standards outlined in the US Collaborative for High Performance Schools, but efforts will be made to salvage as much of the carbon-sequestering structural wood frame as possible. This material will be captured for re-use elsewhere, and most other major carbon-intensive superstructural elements, including concrete, will also be recycled for re-use.

• LAW #24. What is the timeframe for this project?

  The current plan is to finalize design by the end of 2025 and break ground in the Spring of 2026, with occupancy of the building in the Fall of 2028. This timeline and the current project, as proposed, is predicated on gaining approval from the City of Ann Arbor.

• LAW #23. Why not stage Lawton somewhere and rebuild in the current location?

  Please see previous FAQ under New Construction / Major Projects #36.

• LAW #22. Why are some schools replaced and some renovated, and when was that decision made?

  Construction type decisions (New Construction vs. Major Modernizations) were approved by the Board in 2022.

• LAW #21. What can you tell us about the Community Connector?

  The intent of the Community Connector is to enhance shared community amenities that have been present on the Lawton Park / Lawton Elementary site since their joint inception in the early 1960s. These include playgrounds, gardens, blacktop areas, a promenade with seating, picnic tables, and shade trees. Further, this area also can support current life safety and fire department requirements.

• LAW #11. Why are we designing for more students/ why a 4-section school?

  Very recently, in the Fall of 2020, Lawton had an enrollment equal to a 4-section school. Enrollment has decreased since then, influenced by several variables. However, the current plan is to construct a school which is capable of accommodating this recent enrollment.

• LAW #7. Who will maintain elements installed by the AAPS on City of Ann Arbor parkland?

  Conversations with the City are still underway, but the current expectation is that all elements installed by the AAPS on City parkland will be maintained by the AAPS.

• LAW #5. Can we do a hybrid instead of total rebuild?

  This option was evaluated and deemed not feasible. It does not meet District objectives.

• LAW #1. How will traffic be mitigated during construction?

  It is expected that all construction traffic will use temporary construction access from Mershon, separating all construction activities from normal school operations for the duration of the temporary construction project.

Mitchell Elementary

• MIT #1. Is there an update regarding the Mitchell geothermal project?

  The current geothermal drilling at Mitchell Elementary is approximately 75% complete as of 7/7/2025. Work will be progressing from East to West, putting distance between work and the subdivision to the East, which will ease some sound levels. Once the vertical drilling is completed (estimated by August 1), there will be an anticipated reduction in volume as the project continues to the next stage.

New Construction / Major Projects

• NC/MP #38. What would delay construction, if anything?

  Supply chain and unforeseen delays have been included in the construction timelines to mitigate any potential delays.

• NC/MP #26. Why are we adding a Preschool?

  AAPS is dedicated to early education which includes Preschool. By 2027 the State of Michigan has set a goal of Preschool for All four year olds and AAPS needs to be prepared to have space in every school to meet this State initiative.

• NC/MP #22. Construction costs have increased since Covid; what does that mean for the Bond?

  When establishing the initial amount required for the Bond, escalation costs were incorporated.

• NC/MP #20. Why not just improve this building?

  Where possible, our existing buildings will be improved as Major Modernizations (additions and renovations), but this is not feasible, or prudent, for each and every building. The Facilities Condition Assessment (FCA) provides baseline guidance on the work needed to improve buildings to good-to-excellent condition. Where the work required too closely compares in cost to new construction, where the result of a simply improved building would not also bring with it the other necessary improvements to the building, such as new Teaching and Learning spaces, Safety and Security infrastructure, Support Service spaces, Inclusivity, Occupant health and wellness, etc., an all-new building is the necessary option. Please also see FAQ regarding Staging.

• NC/MP #19. How will new playgrounds compare to playgrounds we have now?

  Though existing playgrounds vary quite a bit across the AAPS, the intent of these projects is to improve the distribution, size, and design of new playgrounds as compared to existing versions. Attempts will be made for each project to locate playgrounds with optimal adjacencies to each building, to incorporate natural play elements into them, as well as traditional pre-manufactured playground equipment. Typical Elementary school projects will include three playgrounds: Preschool, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary.

• NC/MP #17. What will happen to the existing garden on the school site?

  Gardens are currently present at some school sites, either in the form of a Community garden (Project Grow, etc.), a school garden, or both. Current plans are to construct one garden per site (combined, where appropriate) and to locate them closer to each school to encourage student involvement, and to provide a reliable water source, storage shed, and fencing.

• NC/MP #16. Is Solar going in?

  Rooftop photovoltaic (PV) arrays are planned as part of each major project, where feasible. In order to meet the District’s commitment to environmental sustainability, capacities of PV arrays will vary, depending on project-specific variables including roof size.

• NC/MP #15. Is Geothermal going in?

  Geothermal bore fields are planned as part of each major project, where feasible. In order to meet the District’s commitment to environmental sustainability, the fields are typically sized for the building’s full heating / cooling load. In some cases, conditions may limit the geothermal field to a partial load capacity.

• NC/MP #12. How long is an active construction zone?

  For a major project, the construction activity is typically two years; however projects which involve the deconstruction and demolition of existing buildings are extended beyond that.

• NC/MP #10. What is the timeline for typical projects? Does it vary by project type (New Construction vs. Major Modernization)?

  Typical major projects identified in the Phase 2 Capital Program Plan, regardless of type, have a +4-year duration. Year 1 is for planning and engagements, year 2 is for design and documentation, and years 3 & 4 are for construction, with building occupancy in the Fall near the end of year 4. On projects which involve existing building deconstruction and demolition, these activities, and related site developments, take place post-occupancy.

• NC/MP #8. Why are some schools being replaced when there are older schools?

  The average age of an elementary school in the AAPS is 70 years. The decision to replace versus renovate is based on information available through the Facilities Condition Assessment evaluation and the feasibility of meeting the target objectives outlined in the 2019 Bond commitments.

Slauson Middle School

• SLA #10. Is the geothermal work that the District intends to do in the floodplain permitted?

  All of the necessary permits required for drilling the proposed geothermal bores in the floodplain will be received prior to the start of work.

• SLA #9. Which agencies are involved in reviewing and/or approving geothermal work in the floodplain?

  The City of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, FEMA, for some conditions EGLE, and third party Civil Engineering reviewer of the District’s storm water management plan.

Smaller (Individual) Projects

• SP #20. When will the 2023 Geothermal Work and Site Restoration at Clague be completed?

  The geothermal field restoration is on track to be completed by 7/26/23. Restoration grading and site concrete is scheduled to take place on 7/31/23 and final restoration will be completed thereafter.

• SP #15. When will the 2022 Geothermal Drilling at Clague be completed?

  This project is expected to continue throughout the fall and has a completion date of November 2022.

  *This schedule is subject to change due to weather or unforeseen conditions.

• SP #14. When will the 2022 Geothermal Drilling at Forsythe be completed?

  This project is expected to continue throughout the fall and has a completion date of October 2022.

  *This schedule is subject to change due to weather or unforeseen conditions.