Tilden Middle School Renovation
March 5, 2017
Over a year ago, the feasibility study was completed for the renovation and collocation of Tilden Middle School and the Rock Terrace School on the site of the original Tilden Junior High School. Since then much work has been accomplished to join to separate schools into one location. As a former student at Farmland Tilden, and Woodward, as apparent with kids in those schools, as a director on the board of the Greater Farmland Civic Association, as the son of a major building contractor, as a real estate agent, and just as someone who passes by these schools many times each day, I have participated in each discussion for Tilden and in the roundtable discussions affecting the schools in Walter Johnson cluster. I am encouraged the promise of this work.
The final design phase meeting for Tilden Middle School and Rock Terrace School was held February 22. The architects and planners are moving forward with their charge to create an expanded, renovated school for the school system and specifically our community. Gradual understanding and acceptance of the needs and wants of all concerned is beginning to take shape. Currently these are details and objectives still ahead of all:
Tom Biggs
Over a year ago, the feasibility study was completed for the renovation and collocation of Tilden Middle School and the Rock Terrace School on the site of the original Tilden Junior High School. Since then much work has been accomplished to join to separate schools into one location. As a former student at Farmland Tilden, and Woodward, as apparent with kids in those schools, as a director on the board of the Greater Farmland Civic Association, as the son of a major building contractor, as a real estate agent, and just as someone who passes by these schools many times each day, I have participated in each discussion for Tilden and in the roundtable discussions affecting the schools in Walter Johnson cluster. I am encouraged the promise of this work.
The final design phase meeting for Tilden Middle School and Rock Terrace School was held February 22. The architects and planners are moving forward with their charge to create an expanded, renovated school for the school system and specifically our community. Gradual understanding and acceptance of the needs and wants of all concerned is beginning to take shape. Currently these are details and objectives still ahead of all:
- The site for the new Tilden Middle School and Rock Terrace School
a. Set back further than the current building.
b. There will be three stories
c. The sight lines are essentially the same as those current - even with a third story
d. Two schools will be accommodated on the site with minimal disturbance by buses to the school patterns that have existed for the past 25 years.
e. The number of left turns has been mitigated. Further work with the department of transportation remains, so the parent/teacher exit from the new parking lot fronting on Tilden Lane will require further examination given its proximity to the intersection at Tilden and Marcliff Drive.
f. The plan limits the number of entries to the site and truly encourages traffic to flow on Tilden and not Marcliff.
g. The bus drop-off/pick- up area will remain along the Marcliff Drive but with turnaround on the site itself.
h. Trees will be added to the site, particularly along Marcliff where a limited number exist by the bus drop off area.
i. Storm water runoff will be addressed fully. The original 1970 building site had no real plan for whisking water away.
j. The service area will be hidden behind the school.
k. The service drive will be off of Marcliff behind the parking area for Rock Terrace.
l. Parking for Tilden is computed at 130 spaces for 1500 students even though the current plan is for 1200 students to inhabit the building.
m. Parking for Tilden will be out front, along Tilden Lane, where currently there are a few trees and a lot of grass. Some of that will remain and certainly the historic trees will be maintained if their root structures will permit it. There will be some new plantings here, as well. But this is intended as the parking area, so it will be different from what we currently see.
n. Parking for Rock Terrace is at 75 spaces, also more than current usage.
o. Rock Terrace parking lot will be down on the far end of the building closer to the Marcliff/Cushman intersection.
p. There will be a little less green space, but most ball fields will remain and be upgraded.
q. Tennis and basketball courts will be added where there is now some green space.
r. Safety has been addressed by placement of service entrances and egress to fields for the kids.
s. Some of the currently unusable area with steep grades on both sides of the current tennis and basketball courts will be re-graded, thus adding a bit more usable space.
t. Two things MCPS cannot control but will advocate for:sidewalks where currently there are none and solar panels. - The interior of the building:
a. At this point the new school will accommodate 1200 Tilden students. Although not part of the current construction plans, future expansion, up to 1500 capacity, is accounted for in the design and site. Future development of the cluster area may require more than 300 additional seats, but at least overflow is a true consideration by the school board planning of Tilden.
b. The building will have 3 stories and even so the sight lines will be very close to what we currently see.
c. There will be elevators as needed and required.
d. There will be 3 areas of the building: Tilden, mutually accessible space, and Rock Terrace.
e. 3 entrances – Tilden up toward Tilden Lane, Rock Terrace toward Marcliff/Cushman and an Activities Entrance in the center.
f. The number of classrooms, science labs, etc., meets today’s needs and those planned for the future.
g. There will be several gyms, weight room, health classrooms on more than one floor.
h. Art studios, two nurses stations, tow cafeterias, and two stages.
i. Two music rooms The Tilden music room will also double at this point for theatre class.This is consistent with the current setup at Woodward. The rooms do need to work for both theater and music, so both sound and space requirements must be addressed.
j. Given the robust paradigm of the Tilden Theatre program, there are some real issues with the current plan for only a 12 foot ceiling and a 2.5 foot stage, no wing space, fly space, storage space, and no wood floor among them. Parity with MCPS guidelines and other recent middles school renovations have informed some of the current planning. I have been personally working on the needs of theatre so Tilden can simply retain the program it currently employs. - The project appears on track for occupancy in the fall of 2020, with full funding needed, but already in the capital improvement plans.
- For about two years, there will be substantial construction and consequent traffic congestion along Tilden Lane due to the renovations of Tilden Middle School and Luxmanor Elementary and re-piping by WSSC.
- Biggest takeaway: When Luxmanor (2020,) Tilden (2020,) and Woodward (2023,) are complete, we will be living in one of the best areas imaginable with gleaming new schools ready to propel our kids forward.
Tom Biggs