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Mr. Halkiotis said he would like to know what the two school districts have learned since <br />the last set of construction standards were adopted in 1996: What are reasonable costs <br />per square foot? What capacity numbers make sense? Should we build smaller schools? <br />How to cut construction costs through stonmwater retention, xeroscaping, and other <br />innovative approaches? <br />Ms. Stuckey said that one counter force to smaller schools is the community's growing <br />interest in physical education. For example, she said, a forthcoming CHCCS athletics <br />task force report will be noting how the district's athletic fields are being ruined by heavy <br />use. The community is looking to the schools for solutions to a wider and wider range of <br />problems, she said. Mr. Hartkopf noted that vendors have been suggesting that schools <br />purchase artificial turf to address saturation of athletics fields after it rains, Mr. Halkiois <br />said that artificial turflmight contribute to injuries among people using the fields, and <br />suggested that information be solicited from UNC and /or Duke sports medicine experts. <br />Dr. Callaway said that over use is an important issue for OCS internally, as different <br />school athletic programs compete for limited space, and with external groups. Mr. Jacobs <br />reiterated the importance of the Collaboration Group meeting with representatives from <br />the various local government recreation and parks advisory boards. <br />Several group members agreed with the sentiment that whether athletic facilities are <br />provided by the schools or the County, "it all comes out of the same pocket at the end of <br />the day." Mr, .Jacobs said that a single construction manager for the County and the <br />school districts could tie together school planning and development with tine provision of <br />other community needs, such as youth services and recreation. This would increase the <br />pace of planning and development for both the County's and the School Districts' capital <br />facilities, he said. Parks in particular should be tied to school planning and development, <br />he said, either because they can be sited adjacent to schools or because school and <br />recreation advocates share a value for physical education. <br />Mr, Link proposed that the planning directors from the local jurisdictions in Orange <br />County meet with school and County officials to explore land banking. Ms. Stuckey <br />agreed, adding that some of the future school sites that have already been identified are <br />"not ideal." Mr. Halkiotis said that better coordination across the planners, schools and <br />County would "insert a hard nosed practicality into the current way we do business. " <br />Hundreds of hours were spent on planning Twin Creeks and Gravelley Elementary <br />School, he said Decision makers should be thinking about how concept plans are <br />actually going to work: how they will fit with the roads, Duke Forest lands, water, sewer, <br />and utilities. <br />Next Steps <br />Group members noted that some of the information needed to reassess school <br />construction standards could be shared outside of Collaboration Group meetings (e.g, <br />through email or memoranda). For example: <br />