Agricultural Program Transformed by New Facility

ROMOLAND, Calif. — Heritage High’s agricultural department is flourishing. Chris Maddalena, a teacher in the department, is one happy camper, as the school announced the completion of its one-of-a-kind Agricultural Research Center (ARC). The 2.5-acre educational dreamscape in Southern California is complete with shade structures for livestock, various technologies for growing plants, and specialized buildings for raising rabbits and collecting eggs. The entirely student- and faculty-run facility takes its name from the eponymous 6,500-square-foot, high-tech barn, referred to affectionately as the ARC, which represents the new centerpiece of the agricultural program.

PJHM Architects, out of Laguna Hills, Calif., designed the project, with NEFF Construction, of Ontario, Calif. serving as the construction management firm. The $5.3 million project jumpstarted an agricultural program that Maddalena essentially brought back from the dead, as the district’s program had shrunk down to just one school.
“I arrived in the district 10 years ago and I had about 80 kids at Paris High School. The program was about to be closed,” Maddalena said.

Maddalena explained that one board member, an elderly rancher, refused to let the program be terminated. The program grew slowly overtime, where now it has ballooned to three schools with nine teachers and around 1,600 students, with most of the classes being required for graduation and recognized by the University of California as college prep courses. However, it was a challenge to each this point, as for years Maddalena ran the program on the equivalent of an abandoned lot.

“We started raising livestock and plants on lean-tos and plywood in a very unpleasant facility,” the teacher explained.

Getting the Program Started

Eventually the program grew and the school received a $2.25 million, dollar-for-dollar matching grant from Proposition 1D, after Maddalena brought the idea to Candace Reines, assistant superintendent of business. Reines helped Maddalena navigate the grant application process and supported his view that the school should invest for the future of the agricultural department. Proposition 1D was passed by state voters in 2006 to supply matching funds for schools willing to invest in facilities for career technical education programs.

Maddalena said Reines came from a business background, but had an understanding of teachers that startled him, adding that she was, “unlike any business person I’ve ever worked with.”

In the next step of his quest for a new facility, Maddalena met Derek Stemrich, project manager for PJHM Architects. The architectural and construction firms both specialize in school projects, but neither had ever worked on an agricultural facility before. Maddalena explained that Stemrich had no experience whatsoever with agriculture, but the teacher was constantly impressed that the project manager’s fresh eyes saw things he did not, often leading to unique solutions. The entire project was an adventure of sorts, as the pair found themselves breaking the mold time and time again.

“Derek [Stemrich] and I researched around the state for schools that were doing this and there was nothing, so we had to reinvent the wheel here,” Maddalena said.

At the end, the school was left with a prototype for agricultural education, which Maddalena has seen draw new students into the program and reenergized many students’ interest in learning, given of the hands-on opportunities the facility provides.

Functions of the Facility

The crown jewel of the facility is the ARC, a massive multi-functional barn, currently split into two functions. Half of the structure is dedicated to a research area with four to five computers students can use to control various systems in all the buildings on the 2.5-acre plot, or to conduct experiments.

The other half is dedicated to a workshop where students can work on equipment used at the facility, including trucks or tractors. The facility is extremely versatile, containing various types of equipment to help students tend to animals, like ultrasound technology and other useful tools to help students understand and aid animals going through the birthing process.

The building features a series of clearstory openings 15 feet off the ground, which students can open individually to cool specific parts of the building. A radiant heating system divided into quadrants allows them to heat the whole building or certain sections of it.

“Say they have three pigs giving birth, they can push them into that corner of the building and turn the heat on in that specific region, rather than heating the entire building,” Stemrich explained.

He added that the structure was designed for maximum flexibility, saying, “It’s heavily insulated, it has high controllability of systems, and it can adapt to whatever future uses they want out of it.”

The barn features a galvanized aluminum roof; likewise, all the metal roofs in the structures at the research center employ some form of galvanized metal.

Stemrich indicated this was to cut down on maintenance in the long run, explaining, “It will never need to be painted. As it ages it, you could actually say it tans; it gets a little bit darker. It’s always reflecting the heat rather than absorbing it and it’s highly resistant to corrosion, which is also nice. It ties it back into its original roots as a barn I guess.”

All the structures at the agricultural complex were built to last. Maddalena predicted most of them would outlive him, while Stemrich commented, “The entire facility is made out of masonry blocks so it’s very resilient and pretty tough to damage if you’re a student or an animal.”

The complex’s rabbit barn is probably the biggest crowd pleaser among students. The 800-square-foot structure uses evaporative coolers, a trend that runs throughout the property, including in the ARC. Stemrich explained these were chosen because of the very dry air in the region and the fact that the coolers would constantly draw fresh air into the facilities, helping to prevent airborne illnesses among animals. Rabbit cages are positioned over a dirt trough, created by leaving a gap in the concrete slab. The trough is used for composting, creating quality soil and growing worms. The structure was designed with a prefabricated system that allows glass blocks to be inserted in the place of the normal masonry ones in some places, allowing for dim lighting, which the rabbits prefer.

A 1,600-square-foot laying barn features 10 separate pens full of chickens. A digital security system allows students to access the pens they are assigned to, ensuring they will not try to sell each other’s eggs.

A fully automated greenhouse adjusts to changing conditions, attempting to cool the building when overheated. At 78 degrees, roof vents open to release excess heat from the 1,800-square-foot structure. Next, mechanical arms pull shade clothes up into the air, dampening the effects of the suns rays on the plants below. If the temperature refuses to fall, the vents shut again and a cooling system kicks in.

The facility also features 20 shade structures for various animals and one for plants that prefer less sunlight, along with a finishing barn where pigs can be taken out of the mud and placed on a concrete slab to be cleaned and prepared for showing.

Program Receives Praise

The success of the new center did not come without its challenges. The project experienced a setback, when a solar company went out of business right before it was scheduled to begin work. The hitch in the project schedule led to an $800,000 cost overrun, but Maddalena said that was the nature of a large construction project, and he did not blame any of the companies involved in the project. The school is currently working on a solar plan for the entire campus, which includes plans for the agricultural facilities.

Maddalena said the project has completely transformed his program, explaining, “Our program is the youngest program and the largest program in Southern California.”

Summing up the experience he added, “Now that we’ve got this facility, we’re getting all these kids saying ‘how do we get involved?’ I’m getting a little scared here because this monster is about to get even bigger, but it’s pretty exciting. It’s a big challenge, but fun. It’s a massive amount of work, but it’s worth it.”