Architect: Niguel Hills Facing $17.8 Mil in Upgrades, Repairs

Niguel Hills Middle School needs $17.8 million in construction, most of that for new classrooms, modernization and renovation, to get the school up to current state standards, according to a Capistrano Unified School District architect.

According to work WLC Architects did in 2009 and recently updated with 2013 pricing, Niguel Hills has some potentially serious structural safety issues. In addition, of the $18.8 million, nearly $4 million would go toward replacing half of the Laguna Niguel campus’s portable classrooms with permanent structures. The overall figure also includes adding a gymnasium.

The district also estimates Niguel Hills has $1.4 million in routine repairs and maintenance it has put off, for items such as flooring, roofing and paving.

In all, the district is facing $822 million worth of needs and only has about $44 million on hand to address them.

For Niguel Hills, the 2013 figures also include nearly $1.2 million to buy new technology for students.

At the Laguna Niguel-based campus, firefighter access is also an issue. In the event of an emergency, firefighters cannot gain access to 2,826 square feet of the school's buildings.

Below is an easier-to-read legend for the photo above. New construction, which originally included replacing all the portables, is in peach, remodels in yellow. 

1.    Administration remodel

2.    New administration expansion

3.    New library/media building

4.    New two-story building (16 classrooms)

5.    Locker room remodel

6.    New music room

7.    New locker room and office expansion

8.    New gymnasium building

9.    Library remodel (4) classrooms

10.  New building (4) classrooms

11.  Replace Floor slabs

12.  New toilet room

13.  Repair roof drains

14.  New fire access

15.  Comprehensive modernization

16.  Joint use

17.  ADA upgrade

Find out the needs at nearby schools:

• Aliso Niguel High
• Bergeson Elementary
• Crown Valley Elementary
• R.H. Dana Elementary and R.H. Dana Exceptional Needs School
• Dana Hills High School
• Hidden Hills Elementary
• Laguna Niguel Elementary
• Malcolm Elementary
• Moulton Elementary
• Palisades Elementary
• George White Elementary

Paige Austin contributed to this report.