91ÊÓƵ

A major renovation and addition to McMinnville‘s Head Start facility will double the amount of classroom space so that more children can participate in the program.

“We have over 100 kids on the McMinnville waiting list, said Michael Eichman, executive director of Head Start of Yamhill County. The program’s four locations offer developmental and preschool education services to children who live in poverty or whose families struggle to meet basic needs.

The McMinnville Head Start project, designed by Scott | Edwards Architecture LLP, involves a complete renovation of the existing 4,000-square-foot, wood-frame facility and a connecting 3,800-square-foot addition to provide extra child development classrooms and teacher offices.

One project challenge, according to S | EA project manager Andrew Kraus, was developing a design to comply with the city’s downtown development guidelines. The interior of the existing, single-story building will be gutted and rebuilt, and all of the existing plumbing and finishes will be redone, Kraus said.

In order to meet the sustainable standards set by Head Start’s newer locations, the design includes high-efficiency mechanical systems and heat recovery ventilators as well as photovoltaic solar panels. Additional insulation and new siding, along with new windows and doors, will enhance thermal performance and reduce energy consumption. The second floor of the addition will provide access for future development of a garden and landscaping atop the roof.

The project also incorporates the development of 10,000 square feet into new parking, landscape and play area.

Construction is scheduled to begin in June; a general contractor has not been chosen yet.

Principal Sid Scott of S | EA is part of the project team. Other project partners include WDY Inc., civil engineering; Shapiro Didway, landscape architecture; Butler Consulting Inc., structural engineering; and Interface Engineering, mechanical/electrical.