Architects to examine safety spaces at Stillwater school sites

STILLWATER, Okla. In the wake of recent violent weather in Oklahoma, including the deadly May 20 tornado in Moore that killed 24 people, Stillwater Public Schools is taking action to safeguard students, faculty and staff in the event of threatening storm conditions.

Superintendent Ann Caine said since the city of Stillwater does not have a structural engineering staff available for assessment, the district has asked Selser-Schafer Architects of Tulsa, the designers of the districts two new schools, to spend the summer evaluating the districts eight other schools, create a plan for refuge or FEMA-certified safe spaces and calculate the cost of installing those safe spaces.

Caine said when the architects report is submitted, the district will then investigate potential funding sources.

Know that the safety of our students and staff is of utmost importance and we are very interested in the final report that our architects and engineers produce for us, Caine said.

Shelters were included in the design of many new schools in the state, including Highland Park Elementary School in Stillwater. Construction of two new elementary schools includes reinforced concrete walls, roofs, foundations and hurricane-resistant doors to protect students and staff in the event of severe weather. The new schools include reinforced concrete hallways with drop-down steel doors to seal those spaces. Using design elements of a FEMA safe room, the new Highland Park has five such spaces, and there are two at the new Will Rogers. The spaces can hold 1,200 people.

If I am anywhere in the area (during a storm), thats where Im going, said John Anders, facilities director for the district. I would definitely feel safe in any of the shelters we are building.

The district has four schools that are equipped with basements Lincoln Academy, the present Will Rogers Elementary School, Westwood Elementary School and the present Highland Park Elementary School. A portion of Sangre Ridge Elementary School is under ground.

These shelters we are building (and the new elementary schools) are very safe, said Stephen Mitchell, project manager at Highland Park. My son will be a first-grader here next year, and I am very glad they are doing this.

Gov. Mary Fallin said last week only approximately 100 of Oklahomas 1,752 public schools have storm shelters with enough capacity to shelter students, teachers and support staff.

Federal storm shelter grants are available. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, administered by FEMA, provides grants to local and state governments to implement long-term safety measures, including the construction of storm shelters.

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Architects to examine safety spaces at Stillwater school sites