What is the current gym and bleacher capacity at Argonaut High School?

The current capacity is 850 people.

What is the anticipated number of students to be enrolled at the consolidated high school?

There will be 1,263 students, as shown in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) draft. The EIR draft will be available for public review on December 15th 

Will all of our students fit in the gym at one time?

Yes, with floor seating everyone will fit.

Will all of our students, families, as well as visiting teams and families be able to fit in our gym?

During the 22/23 volleyball season, Argonaut High School hosted Union Mine in a pre-season match (3 levels: Frosh/Soph, JV & V). The total attendance was 160. That same season, Argonaut High School also hosted Amador High School Volleyball (3 levels: Frosh/Soph, JV & V). The total attendance was 250. With Consolidation & Union Mine High School becoming a league opponent in 24/25, if we project those same attendance figures, the typical attendance for an SVC Volleyball Game would be no more than 380 (+/-).
For football during the 2023-24 season, Argonaut hosted both Union Mine & Amador High Schools. Attendance for the Union Mine Game was 800 and attendance for the Amador game was 1600. With the same type of projection, the typical attendance for an SVC football game would be no more than 2200 (+/-).
For boys basketball during the 22/23 season, Argonaut Hosted Linden High School (similar school population & travel as Union Mine), and there were 165 in attendance. Argonaut also hosted Amador High School with 473 in attendance. With the same type of projection, the typical attendance for an SVC boys basketball game would be no more than 630 (+/-).
Based on this data and the current gym capacity of 850 people, the gym capacity will not be an issue for sporting events.

What is the timeline for building a new gym with a larger capacity on our campus, and how do we expect to get the funding for it?

A project of this magnitude would cost around $18-20 million, and the longer we wait, the more expensive the building will cost. We need voter-approved funding through a bond or sales tax to fund a project like this. The gym in the Nov. 2022 bond plan has a bleacher capacity of 1,596.

Kitchen renovations don’t appear to add much prep space, with only one new stove only a new walk-in refrigerator/freezer. Is this adequate for the amount of meals that will be prepared on campus every day? Will we be staggering lunch periods?

Two (2) new walk-ins will be added to the exterior, one (1) refrigerator and one (1) freezer.  Argonaut already has a large kitchen which has historically been used to prep meals for Jackson Jr. High and Independence High.  Our food service director, Mike Pingree, created this plan, and he says they will have everything they need to prep meals for a larger school.  The plans do not show all of the other equipment that is considered portable like warmers, etc.

How many portable buildings are we bringing in, and from which facility are they coming? How old are each of these buildings, and what is their lifespan? In Figure 3-5 I don’t see them on the map, and I don’t see anything included about the grading and utilities hookups that each of those will need.

We are bringing in 5 portables all from the upper section of Jackson Jr. High. The portable currently used as the main office for the junior high will be converted into a space for counselors and special education support providers. The other 4 buildings are classrooms that were put in place in 2006, are in good repair, and have a lifespan of 30-40 years.

In the future, we plan to build a new 2-story building at Sutter Creek Elementary. How are we planning to get the funds for this? If through a bond, do we know the probability of a bond passing?

Like a new gymnasium at the high school, this would need voter-approved funding like a bond or sales tax. We are exploring other options to save us from building a new building to make this move. It would require fencing part of the main Amador campus for the elementary school but would be a huge cost-saving measure in the meantime.

We have a loan amount of $16 million to complete “phase 1” of the consolidation process. What happens if the bids that we get for all of the construction and work that needs to be completed simultaneously come back higher than the $16 million that we have?

We built a buffer with the loan amount depending on the competitiveness of the bids. If the bids come in at our anticipated amount, we will have the funds to take care of more projects like roofing and HVAC systems. Numerous contractors have expressed interest in our project, so we anticipate receiving competitive bids knowing the estimated costs.

Have we been in contact with the City of Jackson, and do they have any recommendations or requirements for us?

I have consulted with the City of Jackson on numerous facilities projects through the years, and they have been providing input on the environmental impact report. However, we follow state rules with our construction, and the approvals do not come from the local cities. Local city leaders have also been participating in the Consolidation Community Input Teams.

Form of Official Preliminary Statement—What are the changes that have been made that need to be addressed before we can move on with financing?

There are no major changes, but the original document is out of compliance because of the approval timing. We have intentionally waited to pull the funding so that it delays the start of the repayment process but we now need the board to reapprove this document so we are compliant with the timeline requirements. All other COP documents previously approved by the board still stand.

Does the new consolidated campus impact the current sewage lift station?

The consolidation of the campus will not significantly affect the sewage lift station. Presently, the lift station serves both the housing community near the school and the lower section of the Argonaut campus. The city of Jackson has an easement for the lift station and is responsible for its maintenance along with the connected sewer lines. The new buildings at the consolidated site will link to the existing sewer system through gravity feed, ensuring no adverse impact on the lift station.
Following consolidation, approximately 350 students from Jackson Junior High will attend the Amador High campus, reducing the strain on the sewer system in the city of Jackson. Argonaut High currently enrolls 590 students, with a historical peak of 800 students. Consequently, the overall increase in high school campus capacity is estimated to be around 400-450 students. After considering the decrease of 350 students from Jackson Junior High, the net increase to the city of Jackson is projected to be between 50-100 students.

With consolidation, which league will we be entering?

Sierra Valley Conference (SVC)

How many teams will be in our league?

2024/25 school year: eight (8) teams

• Bradshaw Christian HS,
• El Dorado HS,
• Galt HS,
• Liberty Ranch HS,
• Rosemont HS
• Union Mine HS
• Amador HS
• Argonaut HS

2025/26 school year: seven (7) teams

• Bradshaw Christian HS,
• El Dorado HS,
• Galt HS,
• Liberty Ranch HS,
• Rosemont HS
• Union Mine HS
• Consolidated High School of Amador County

I’m hearing that we changed leagues for this upcoming year as well. Is this true, and why did we do that?

The Sac-Joaquin Section (the Governing Body for High School Athletics for the Sacramento, Stockton & Modesto regions) Realignment committee realigns the High School Leagues every four (4) years in an attempt to keep a competitive equality balance for all schools. They determine the timeline for realignment.

Why would we not stay in the Mother Lode League until we consolidate?

The Sac-Joaquin Sections’ realignment committee determined that since the High Schools of Amador County were consolidating, the best move was to place both schools in the league where the consolidated high school would be placed. The SVC voted in favor of accepting both Amador & Argonaut and the Consolidated High School of Amador County into their league. If they placed Amador and Argonaut in the MLL for one year it would cause a major disruption to the MLL and the SVC during the 2025/26 school year.
Both Amador & Argonaut High Schools have successfully competed against all the schools from the SVC in all sports for many years.

Does the track at the Argonaut campus have enough lanes and the proper setup to host league meets there? If not, what is the plan?

After Consolidation, the track at the current Argonaut campus has the facilities needed to host not only a Duel Track & Field Meet but also an SVC Championship Track & Field Meet.

Do we have the logistics worked out with our athletics? Where are all of the sports teams going to practice and have games?

The current Jackson Jr. High School campus facilities will be used as practice facilities for our athletic teams beginning in the fall of 2025. For example, the JJHS gym will be an auxiliary practice site for the high school basketball & volleyball teams. Also, our high school wrestling team will have a space at JJHS large enough to accommodate practices.
The practice areas at the current Argonaut Campus will be addressed to be more functional in handling the additional usage of multiple teams.

If there isn’t enough space at the high school campus, will we be using the Junior High Campus, and if so, where do we propose the junior high students practice and have games?

As with the high school consolidation, the consolidation of the junior high schools will allow for expanding our junior high school athletic offerings (Flag Football, Boys Volleyball, Soccer, etc). All junior high school teams will play games & practice at the current Amador High School Campus.

If we are using other facilities, which teams will be traveling, and how will they be getting to another location to practice?

Currently, the Amador & Argonaut golf teams (boys & girls) travel to Castle Oaks for matches and practices, both high school swim teams & the Amador water polo teams travel to the Jackson Pool for matches and practices, and the Argonaut JV baseball team travels to Jackson Jr High School for practices. District transportation is provided as needed.

With the original consolidation plan, we were going to have a new fine arts building. With the new plan, we don’t have that. Currently, it is my understanding that the Argonaut students use their multi-purpose room for drama and performances. With a consolidated school, we will be expected to field Freshman, JV, and Varsity Sports teams for each sport, boys and girls. With that number of teams, it seems that we will need to use that space for sports practices a majority of the time. Where does that leave our fine arts programs?

Currently, the high school drama programs are utilizing both high school drama facilities for performances. The intention is to allow all drama students to become familiar (for a seamless transition during consolidation) with the different A/V & lighting equipment at each current high school.

Will they be traveling to the Junior High Campus to use those facilities, and if so, are we not going to be starting a fine arts program at the junior high level?

The Jackson Jr. High gym will also be used so that all fine arts have their facilities at their respective sites.

What does the EIR process look like?

The EIR process, which stands for “Environmental Impact Report,” is a way to carefully look at how a planned project might affect the environment. Here’s a simple breakdown of what happens:
First, when someone wants to do a big project like building something or changing how land is used, they start the EIR process.
They then figure out the possible effects this project might have on the environment. This part is called “scoping.”
Next, they write a draft report that talks about the project and what it might do to the environment. This draft report is shown to the public so people can give their thoughts.
Once everyone has had a chance to say what they think, the final report is made. It takes into account all the comments from the public and finalizes the information for the decision-makers.
Finally, government groups will review this final report along with other information to decide their next steps.

Is the full EIR going to be available soon? The draft is missing parts I feel are important to see.

The EIR draft will be available for public review on December 15th on the Consolidation Information Hub. This will begin the 45-day period for public input and comment.  The board will have a study session on Dec 14th to go through the EIR with the consultants who created it. There are other steps to finalize the report and we anticipate final approval at a board meeting in early March 2024. 

In the draft EIR, it states that we will be moving 6th graders back to Jackson Elementary School, but no site improvements must be made. How is that going to work?

Currently, 110 students at Jackson Elementary School do not live within the school boundary. We are working on boundary realignment and revoking intradistrict transfers to create the space. Currently, there are only 56 5th grade students so we would not need to revoke all of the intradistrict transfers to create the space for them to stay as 6th grade students.

In the draft EIR, it states that preschool and TK will be at JJHS, but only restrooms and fixtures will have to be updated. That seems odd considering there are no playgrounds or equipment there, and the campus is not fenced in for our special needs preschool students who are slated to move there.

The EIR only has to cover what is required in law as an environmental impact. Adding playgrounds and fencing can be separate from the EIR, even though those projects will be completed. TK will not be housed at the current Jackson Junior High School campus as that grade is housed at the elementary schools. TK will be housed in the new building on the current Ione Junior High School site, and will have fencing and appropriate play structures for both sped and gen ed students. Restrooms and sinks will be modified for the appropriate grade they serve.

In the draft EIR, it states that in the future we will be selling Sutter Creek Primary and Ione Elementary campuses. Does the school district own those facilities?

Yes, we own those facilities. There are many rumors about how specific properties were gifted by certain families with contingencies. We have consulted with legal counsel and pulled the titles on these properties.
If not, what is the process of selling the campuses, and do we have to consult with the respective cities before we can sell them?
An extensive process for selling properties follows precise laws concerning selling public land.
Do we have an estimate of how much we’re expecting to get from the sale of each property? (I know the market can shift at any time) What will we be doing with the money we get from the sale?
We do not have an estimate as to the value of the properties as that will all be part of the selling process. We plan to use the money from the sale for our facilities needs as they are extensive. The properties are sold at fair market value as the Naylor Act requires.

According to the timeline, the transportation analysis was slated to be completed in September 2023, but it’s not mentioned at all in the draft EIR. Did this get completed and when can we expect to see the results?

The entire transportation section in the report will be included in the Dec. 15 draft.