Architect Andrew Burke points out some features of the Malabon school design at the community’s public meeting. He also shared a proposed 3D look of the new school.

We’re beginning to get a clearer picture of what the new Fairfield and Malabon Elementary Schools will look like, and parents who’ve provided input like what they see.

Click to see the preliminary concepts of how Fairfield and Malabon could be built.

Public meetings at each school invited feedback so Soderstrom Architects could incorporate specific ideas into the new buildings.

The two story structures will feature light-filled hallways and classrooms, prominent entrances, and separate areas so buses and parent traffic don’t mix.

The next public meetings for the elementary school projects are September 10th and 11th, when the designs will become much more detailed.

The community meeting for the Willamette science addition will take place Tuesday, June 11th, 7:00 p.m. in the WHS cafeteria. Everyone’s welcome and encouraged to attend.

The Willamette project will create an entirely new face for the school, so public input is needed.

Solar and wind energy will be among the sustainability topics at Bethel’s LEED workshop.

The community’s help is needed. Together we will be determining the most effective ways to tune Bethel’s new schools to conform with sustainability practices.

Bethel’s architects will hold a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) workshop Wednesday the 29^th, at 3:30 in the Willamette cafeteria.

In large and small groups you’ll be discussing child friendly materials, renewable materials, energy savings, water savings and a host of other sustainability topics. Included will be a discussion about potential HVAC systems and their energy consumption, life cycle costs and durability.

Sustainability decisions will be evaluated based on long-term value and cost effectiveness.

Your input is important.

Roofing consultant Kelly Blair points out details to potential bidders on the roof of Cascade Middle School.

They’ll be fixing the holes where the rain gets in, and stop kids’ minds from wandering.

That’s why more than a dozen representatives of roofing companies, sheet metal businesses, and suppliers gathered on the roof of Cascade Middle School, all bidding to be the ones to fix the holes.

Cascade’s is the neediest roof in Bethel School District and will be given a new life this summer, with 35,000 square feet scheduled to be replaced.

Portions of roofs at Willamette High School, Shasta Middle School and Danebo Elementary will also be repaired this summer.

The much-needed roofing jobs are part of the Bethel bond measure that was passed overwhelmingly by voters last November.

Representatives from 23 companies scout possible security camera locations at Danebo Elementary.

More than 30 people representing 23 companies showed up at a mandatory meeting in order to bid on providing security cameras for Bethel schools.

Nearly 100 cameras will be installed on nine Bethel schools this summer, with Malabon and Fairfield due to be outfitted with security cameras in their new buildings.

Companies from Idaho, Washington and Oregon were on hand for the tour of the proposed camera locations.

The security surveillance systems are among the many improvements to be funded through the bond measure that was passed overwhelmingly by Bethel voters last November.

In this photo captured by the Register-Guard’s Paul Carter, Malabon mom Shanna Blickle and two of her children look at pictures of new school designs.

This is the fun stuff. The community is being asked to weigh in on the location, design and character of Bethel’s two new elementary schools.

Malabon parents, neighbors and staff turned out for the first public meeting to offer thoughts about their neighborhood’s new school.

The Fairfield community gets to share its visions tonight at 6:00 in the school cafeteria, and there will be more opportunities to offer ideas in June.

All Bethel community members are encouraged to take this survey to help determine the look of the new Malabon and Fairfield schools. Designers from Soderstrom Architects want to know the style of school that will fit in those neighborhoods.

The new schools are scheduled to be ready for the start of the 2015 school year.

Read the Register-Guard article about the Malabon community meeting.

The Fairfield and Malabon Core Teams marvel at the light and bright Kalapuya Elementary School in Salem.

When trying to conceptualize a new school there’s no substitute for seeing the real thing. That’s why the Core Teams from Fairfield and Malabon visited two newer elementary schools in Salem that were designed by Bethel’s architects, Soderstrom.

The Core Teams, made up of volunteer staff and community members, saw for themselves how light and bright new schools can be. They learned more about school design and why certain parts of a school should be located in particular areas for both educational and operational efficiencies.

The Teams also witnessed how hallway pullout areas next to classrooms can be utilized as part of the instructional process.

Now they can use this knowledge to provide better input into the design of the new schools in Bethel.

Side-by-side testing of security cameras has helped the District determine precisely what will work best for its schools.

After weeks of studying our security needs, closely comparing security cameras and recorders, and determining probable costs the District is ready to move ahead on the project that will enhance security in our schools.

A Request For Proposal has been posted that will likely attract interest from security companies from throughout the state. It calls for nearly 100 security cameras spread over nine District schools (excluding Fairfield and Malabon which will have cameras in their new schools).

The systems will allow for live and recorded viewing of the cameras, which will be vandal and weather resistant. The security camera system should be installed this summer in time for the start of the coming school year.

Combined with new classroom door locks that can be locked from the inside, the cameras will help to significantly improve basic security in Bethel schools.

Willamette Science teacher Kristy Morrow points out classroom design issues to Andrew Burke and Henry Fitzgibbon (right) of Soderstrom Architects.

A few weeks after being selected as the District’s architect, designers from Soderstrom Architects have met with Bethel staff to talk about creating new school buildings.

Henry Fitzgibbon and Andrew Burke listened to teachers at Willamette about a new Science addition at the school. It’s the first of many information sharing and gathering opportunities that will lead to modern Science classrooms at WHS.

Architects shared long range plans with the combined staffs from Fairfield and Malabon.

The two architects also heard from the excited Fairfield and Malabon staffs, who are looking forward to new schools to replace their current buildings.

Smaller core teams from each school will include community members, and will continue to meet with architects from Soderstrom throughout the spring and summer to develop new elementary schools that meet the needs of the students, staff and the community.

The first community-wide meetings about the school designs are May 7th at Fairfield and May 8th at Malabon.

Soderstrom’s Henry Fitzgibbon tours Malabon as part of his preparation to design a pair of new elementary schools in Bethel.

The Bethel School Board has enthusiastically approved the hiring of Soderstrom Architects, a Portland-based design firm.

Soderstrom, led by Principal Architect Henry Fitzgibbon, will design the new Fairfield and Malabon elementary schools and the new Science addition at Willamette High School.

The Bond Oversight Task Force was impressed with Soderstrom’s resume, but also its ability to design schools that fit particular neighborhoods while still being functional, efficient, modern and inviting. The Task Force was captivated with a number of architectural firms’ proposals and the final two firms in contention were very, very close.

Soderstrom will be seeking public input on the design, and construction on all three projects could begin next winter. Bids have not yet been sought from Contractors or Engineering firms.

Proposals from 15 architectural firms were delivered to the Bethel School District office. They are now being graded to help determine the architect(s) to design Bethel’s new schools.

Submissions from 15 architectural firms are now being graded by Bethel’s Bond Oversight Task Force.

The architects are proposing to design all or portions of Bethel’s school construction projects, including new Malabon and Fairfield elementary schools, and new science classrooms at Willamette High School.

Smaller projects include repairs or upgrades such as school roofing jobs.

The top candidates will be invited for interviews before the selected architect(s) will be announced. That will signal the start of the exciting design phase of the school projects.