Dos Pueblos High School’s New Engineering Academy Building Hangs in Water-Logged Limbo

Santa Barbara Unified’s budding engineers were promised a new facility at Dos Pueblos High School four years ago. However, the school’s under-construction Engineering Academy building is hanging in water-logged limbo after passing its original projected completion date of September 2022.  

Once completed, the building will complement the current facility in teaching students new skills in engineering, art and design, computer programming, manufacturing, and product development. It will add to the existing Elings Center for Engineering Education that was built in 2011 and includes a computer lab, machine shop, art and design classroom, and physics lab.

According to Emily Shaeer, director of the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy (DPEA), the new building will facilitate the “next phase” for the academy, which began with 32 students in 2002 and has grown to 400 students annually. They want to expand their reach to TK-6 students across the community, she explained, providing STEAM opportunities to thousands of young students and allowing their high schoolers to not only build robots, but show them off, too.

“The new building will serve as a hub for educational innovation, as well as a gallery for our student-created interactive exhibits,” Shaeer said. “It is imperative that students have access to high-quality technical education to prepare them to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

Standing in the way of that “tomorrow,” however, are the “really frustrating” delays the district has faced due to various issues with construction company Telacu, according to the district’s chief operating officer, Steve Venz. Telacu won the 2020 contract to build both the new DPEA facility and the school’s new media center, which opened in March. 

Telacu Construction Management did not respond to requests for comment. 

The biggest setback was the flooding discovered inside the building, especially after last January’s intense storms. Flooding persisted with this year’s rains, with substantial water intrusion, Venz said. Now, the multimillion dollar building will have to be partially demolished in order to repair the damage and prevent further leaks.

Venz said they are involving their attorneys to make sure that Telacu is following their directive and staying true to their contract. 

“We’re not in litigation with Telacu, but aggressively pursuing the requirements needing to be undertaken by the contractor to successfully complete the project according to the architect’s design,” Venz said. 

They also hired a “water analyst” to create a report on the water intrusion, so that Telacu can work on remedying the flooding. Once the project is completed, their architect from KBZ Architects will need to review and sign off on the final product.

“Our number-one goal is that this building is built correctly and as designed to stand for 100 or more years,” Venz said. “We’re really just trying to resolve these issues with flooding. Ultimately, it has to be done right. Right now, we’re working with Telacu to make sure it fits the timeline we expect.”

Venz said they have not pinpointed a new ETA for the project’s completion. However, he did proudly mention that the Dos Pueblos Media students, who just moved into their new building, interviewed him and are staying on top of the story, too.