Indiana District Approves $80M for Two Construction Projects

The Tippecanoe School Corporation in Lafayette, Ind., recently approved $80 million in bids for two district construction projects. The first is the construction of a new facility for Klondike Middle School, with comes with an estimated cost of $69 million from Kettelhut Construction. The second is an expansion project at Mayflower Mill Elementary School, according to local news.

The district plans to redistribute students among different facilities once construction is complete. The elementary school will serve students in grades K–2; students in grades 3–5, currently attending the elementary school, will move into the existing middle school building to be renamed Klondike Intermediate School; and students in grades 6–8 will move into the new Klondike Middle School building.

TSC Superintendent Dr. Scott Hanback said that the existing middle school was built during the 1970s and underwent renovations in the 1990s. The new Klondike Middle School building was originally approved in March and is set for completion by fall 2024.

The existing elementary school, meanwhile, was built in the 1950s and has seen numerous additions since then. The current expansion project is a result of rising population in the area.

“They’re exploding in population, and they need more classroom space,” said Brian DeFreese, TSC Board President. “So, we approved all the funding to add more classrooms; bigger spaces; and new, more modern spaces. So, it’s an expansion. There are two phases; we’ve approved the first phase. There’s a second phase to it that adds even more to the interior, and then we wanted to make a more secure entrance to the school, and that’ll be in the second phase.”

The elementary school expansion was originally budgeted at $15 million, but the board received a $10 million bid from the J. R. Kelly Company. Construction on both facilities will proceed while students are out of school for the summer, and the elementary school project has an estimated completion date of fall 2023.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Mary Washington Selects Builder for New Theater, Dance Facility

    The University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., recently announced that it has selected construction and development firm Skanska to lead a series of renovations and upgrades to fine arts facilities, according to a news release.

  • Missouri K–12 District Cuts Ribbons on Two New Middle Schools

    Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Mo., recently celebrated the completion of two new middle school facilities with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, according to a district news release. The district officially opened the new Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy on Sept. 3, both of which were funded through the $220-million Proposition S bond program approved by voters in 2023.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.

  • Missouri Child Development Center Completes $2.3M Expansion

    The Urban Sprouts Child Development Center in St. Louis, Mo., recently announced the completion of a $2.3-million expansion and adaptive reuse project, according to a news release. The new space includes a retail café, outdoor learning space, and a support office building.