ROHNERT PARK, Calif.— The new $52 million, 75,000-square-foot collegiate-level facility Rancho Cotate High School Theater/Academic/Gymnasium (TAG) Building in Rohnert Park is now complete after two years.

The idea for this TAG building was conceived with the intent to create a state-of-the-art performing arts, athletic, and academic facility to continue to improve student achievement.

The master plan for this project—completed by WLC Architects in 2014 for the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District—ultimately envisioned an entirely new Rancho Cotate High School to serve the community for the next 100 years. The TAG building is the first step and an integral part of the master planned new high school.

The general contractor on this project was Wright Contracting of Santa Rosa. The building is being paid for by two facility bonds, including $42 million from an $80 million bond that voters approved in 2014, and $10 million from a bond offering that was approved in 2016.

“It’s the largest facility of its kind in Northern California,” says Interim Superintendent Tony Roehrick said. “Whether you’re interested in the tech field or theater arts or athletics, this is going to provide you with first-class facilities.”

Rancho Cotate has approximately 1,500 students, which is approximately 600 fewer students than enrollment 20 years ago. District officials hope this new building will attract more students to attend Cotati-Rohnert Park schools.

In an effort to attract more families to this area and school, Principal Louis Ganzler has been the district’s voice for radio ads. He has also conducted more than 50 tours in the past few months to interested parents and community members, in addition to a number of realtors who have found this school to be a great selling point for the area.

“Every person I’ve brought here has essentially expressed some level of awe,” says Ganzler. “Part of what this building allows us to do is build programs.”

For instance, next year’s freshmen will have the opportunity to choose from one of five new academic concentrations—law and justice; film; computer science; biomedical sciences and sports careers.

The school’s performing arts program is expected to be strong too. Drawing inspiration from the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University—whose performance hall opens to the lawn at the rear of the building—the reversible stage incorporated in this building opens to one of the largest gymnasiums in Northern California. The acoustically tuned 250-seat formal theater will provide a beautiful venue for student, community and professional performances on campus through multiple disciplines—orchestral performance, spoken word, live music, drama performance or projected media.

The new Henry J. Sarlatte Gymnasium will be a centerpiece for school sports and community functions with 2,000 seats available in the built-in bleachers. With a maximum capacity of nearly 3,000 people, the space can accommodate concerts, awards ceremonies, graduations and guest performances with the use of movable seating and setup.

Sporting a regulation NCAA-sized basketball center court and volleyball court, the gymnasium is outfitted to host multiple sports under one roof. The gym features volleyball practice courts, basketball practice courts, badminton courts, multiple full-sized wrestling mats—all set for hosting local and state competitions on campus. Full locker rooms for home and away teams add to the hosting capabilities for sports throughout the year.

Apart from the theater and gymnasium, additional classroom spaces provides for more student offerings. An acoustically-tuned, recording-ready music room gives the band a unique space to rehearse—coupled with three practice rooms, each with recording capabilities.

Four audio-visual classrooms and a full video lab provide opportunities for students to create with professional tools. Print media, Photoshop and digital arts—in addition to audio and video production—are all available for student use. The ability to produce content in-house and provide media packages to the school and community allows students to communicate through different mediums.

Jason Dawes, who teaches filmmaking at the school, says the green room, editing room and labs were comparable to what professionals use.

“I think of it as more of a really amazing facility.”

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WINDSOR, Calif. — Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) recently hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at its Public Safety Training Center (PSTC) in Windsor for a new multipurpose building.

The $5.7 million project will provide the SRJC with a second multipurpose room and support spaces totaling 7,355 square feet. The PSTC’s existing multipurpose room is at maximum capacity, and is where classes are conducted all day, six days a week.

In November 2014, the residents of Sonoma County passed Measure H, a $410 million general obligation bond supporting the students, faculty and staff of the Sonoma County Junior College District. The district includes the SRJC campus and Southwest Center in Santa Rosa, Petaluma campus in Petaluma, Shone Farm in Healdsburg, and the PSTC in Windsor.

The new multipurpose building is just one of several SRJC capital improvement projects included in the district’s Measure H bond and will allow the PSTC to expand its class offerings for men and women who are entering careers as police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

The Press Democrat reports that an average of 250 to 300 students use the current building that oftentimes gets fully booked on weekdays, causing students in the college’s police academy program to have to schedule remedial training on Sundays.

“We are constantly in need and overbooked for that training area,” said Lanny Brown, director of the Intensive Basic Police Academy, to the Press Democrat.

A number of public safety professional programs reportedly mandate more hours of physical training in a gymnasium-type building, said April Chapman, dean of public safety, to the Press Democrat.

“It’s a special curriculum that requires a special type of room,” Chapman said to the Press Democrat. “This new building will give us relief.”

In March of this year, the district awarded the project to design-builder JL Construction and WLC Architects with a fast-tracked schedule for design and construction in thirteen months. With the start of construction this October, the project remains on schedule for completion in mid-April 2019.

PSTC’s new multipurpose building will be constructed next to the current building and will serve the PSTC as an assembly area, practice area for tactical arts, and workout facility for firefighting trainees, and police cadets.

Features of the new building include restroom, mat rooms, an operable partition that will allow two classes to be conducted simultaneously, and a covered walkway that will connect the multipurpose building to the rest of the campus.

A report from the Press Democrat contributed to this story.

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Using a Collaborative Design-Build approach, McCarthy plans to deliver a new campus that consists of two classroom buildings and a third administration building that will include a kitchen and flexible, multipurpose space to accommodate the shifting needs of the students and staff. Flexible furniture, multiple writing walls and open spaces for collaboration are key features throughout the facility. A new off-street driving lane for student pick-up and drop-off will also be included to provide additional safety and alleviate road congestion during peak traffic times. Funding for the campus upgrades are supported by Measure P, which voters approved in 2016.

Reflecting the district’s focus on collaborative learning with the Collaborative Design-Build delivery model, the team ultimately arrived at a solution that embraced the end-user and school administration goals established. As part of the school’s recent Open House festivities, McCarthy unveiled a preview of the updated design with a virtual reality walkthrough, which was received with enthusiasm and excitement from students and parents.

“Del Paso Manor is a cornerstone component of the neighborhood, and we worked closely with the broader community to determine the overall needs and features that would best serve all of the project’s end-users,” said Senior Project Manager Andrew Dessling with McCarthy. “The upgrade to all new facilities allows the district to truly support its educational philosophy that ensures students reach their highest academic, social and intellectual potential in a modern, safe environment.”

Construction will begin on October 15, 2018.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the oldest privately held national construction company in the country, and the firm has offices in St. Louis; Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Portage, Ind.; Kansas City, Kan.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Denver; Dallas, Houston; Albuquerque; San Diego, Newport Beach, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif.

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