Upset that the School District went forward with the Chief Sealth High School and Denny Middle School project without getting much community involvement, residents at a Westwood Neighborhood Council meeting said they still found the design for the new Denny building and renovation of Sealth a concern because of the interaction of middle and high school students, the cost of the project, and that it would be an eyesore.

"A great debate as to what facilities would be shared between the two schools was a concern to both faculty and parents due to the possible intermingling of high school and middle school students," said Don Gillmore, program manager for the Seattle Public Schools. "So what the staffs of both schools decided would be best is to share the music area, health clinic, and cafeteria."

Gillmore said that the performing arts space would be connected by a bridge from Denny that would direct students into Sealth's administrative area allowing seventh and eighth graders involved in the music program to have easy access. The health clinic would be halfway between the two schools and would be divided in middle and high school sections. While the cafeteria will be one big space - larger than a football field - it will have eating areas separated by a moveable wall, giving each school separate eating spaces.

The cafeteria will also be a venue for community events in the evening.

To ease the worries of interaction between the two vastly different age groups separate entrances, plazas and parking lots will be made on the south side for Sealth and the north for Denny.

Residents were also apprehensive with the plans to upgrade the south parking lot and the construction of the north parking lot because water flowing into Longfellow Creek would not be filtered.

But Gillmore said to prevent oil from streaming into the creek the north lot will have a bio-filter, a big tank to retain water, which will capture and biologically process pollutants such as oil. However to do the same for the south lot they would have to tear apart the lot and rebuild it. Instead they hope to have a filter catch basin, an inlet to the storm drain system where storm water enters the catch basin and a sump captures sediment, debris and pollutants.

Denny will include a green roof to collect water on a portion of the building. Filtered water will be used on landscaping, with some held for a time on the roof to prevent it from flooding the draining system.

Community members did not like the design of the Denny courtyard. People felt the blank wall with no windows on the 53-foot high building had an unwelcoming look.

"I'm happy with the interior and the rest of the building's design looks good," said Steven Fischer, president of the Westwood Neighborhood Council. "But I feel the end of the building (facing west) looks unfinished and not welcoming to the community. I feel there can be more done to that side of the building besides gradations of block. You should find some means to break up that wall ... I would hate it to be constructed like that."

Judy Yeoh, of Bassetti Architects said there was a reason for the blank wall.

"It's easier to control light north and south instead of east and west," Yeoh said. "Our goal is to try not to have so much light coming into these rooms."

School district project manager Robert Evans said there was discussion about incorporating some kind of mural by the Denny students to possibly break up the wall.

The modernization of Sealth is currently underway with the relocation of the high school to its temporary location at the old Boren Middle School on Delridge Way. The move would be complete once school is in session this coming fall.

The district will begin by making seismic retrofit upgrades, upgrade the electrical and mechanical systems and demolishing parts of the building, work will last until the end of February next year.

The project also entails major renovation of Sealth's gym and main academic building and externally demolishing and relocating current tennis courts and softball fields to make room for the new addition of Denny.

With the design and construction in action, Westwood Neighborhood Council feels they cannot do much more but stand by and watch Sealth be renovated while Denny Middle School is built from ground up. They hope unlike with the planning stages of the Sealth/Denny co-location, they will be heard by the School District in what the community and schools can benefit in for the future plans of the old Denny Middle School site.

Renovation for Chief Sealth is to be completed by August of 2010 and construction of the new Denny Middle School will hopefully be done the following year.

The Westwood Neighborhood Council will meet again August 12 at 7 p.m. at the Southwest Precinct to further discuss the future plans for the old Denny site. West Seattle School Board member, Steven Sundquist, Seattle parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher and Southwest Precinct Captain Joe Kessler will be invited to attend.

Allison Espiritu may be contacted at 783.1244 or allisone@robinsonnews.com.