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Mill Valley School District

Old Mill Modernization Updates

Facilities Modernization at Old Mill

Measure G Improvements at Old Mill
Below is a breakdown of Priority 1 project elements and associated costs and here is a link to a slideshow that illustrates where the changes will take place on campus.

ADA Improvements (including site and restrooms)
Restrooms upgrades required to meet current accessibility code, including walls and plumbing fixtures relocations, accessories replacements and remounting.

$550,000

Drinking Fountains
Replace drinking fountains with dual high/low refrigerated unit with bottle fillers

$350,000

Playground Improvements
Hardcourt seal coat, crack, repairs and re-striping, replace all hoops and backboards

$650,000

Infrastructure Improvements (MEP)
Replace all but 4 furnaces across campus, supply with outdoor air, includes expanding mechanical closets for new units and venting systems.
Replacement of the HVAC system in the portable buildings.
Plumbing adjustments as needed for restroom renovations.

$1,900,000

Total Budget

$3,450,000

Upper Yard Play Structure Planning MeetingsDiggers at old mill
In the winter of 2024-25, a cross section of staff members and some interested parents have joined representatives from AECOM (program & construction managers), JKAE (architect), ANLA (landscape architect), and Julio Arroyo (Director of Maintenance and Facilities) for multiple meetings via Zoom to plan the upper play structure and surrounding area.  Parents were invited to attend these meetings at PTA executive committee meetings and general PTA meetings. We sought to replicate the model that we successfully used in the winter of 2022-23 (Lower Yard play structure advisory group) to form a group of about 10-15 individuals to provide feedback on the Upper Yard play structure design.  

ADA Accessibility
Throughout the planning of the Lower Yard play structure (installed in the summer of 2023) and in the planning of the proposed Upper Yard structure, ADA accessibility and overall inclusivity served as the driver behind the overall design and play structure feature selection.  Here is a brief slideshow (slides 1-3) that outlines the intersection between ADA requirements and Measure G improvements.

more diggers at old millWhat About The Land Above The Structure?
The area above the play structure and sandbox would be fenced off, planted with native, non-toxic, drought resistant plants and be inaccessible to students due to a combination of ADA guidelines and financial constraints.  Note: the latest plan does move the sandbox away from the edge of the turf.

Per ADA guidelines, any area in which it is expected that students can play or learn must be accessible to all students.  Because of the slope or grade of the land, a sizable ramp would need to be installed to provide access to this area.  In addition, the land would need to be supplemented and flattened.  

It has also been proposed that instead of installing a ramp, the land could be leveled.   See image above, lower depiction, for what leveling the area would like and the estimated additional cost.  The retaining walls in this option would be 10+ ft high.

There are not enough Measure G funds to construct a ramp and level the earth or dig out the entire area and reinforce the retaining walls that back up to the sidewalk.  As a result of these constraints, the play structure advisory group has recommended that the project move forward with a new play structure and sandbox in the space depicted in the image above the previous section.  

What About Shade?
Shade was another topic that arose in the play structure planning meetings.  The structure features that have been selected provide shade in some areas, but not over the entire structure.  We discussed installing a shade sail 7 feet above (per code) the structure, but determined that cost was an exclusionary factor as such a feature is estimated to cost $400,000.  In addition, due to the angle of the sun, shade does not cover the play structure throughout the entire day.