Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Kraus-Anderson Completes Three Schools for Minnesota District

  • By Matt Jones
  • 10/11/22

Construction management firm Kraus-Anderson recently announced that it has finished construction on three projects for the White Bear Lake School District in White Bear Lake, Minn. According to a news release, the three schools are North Star Elementary, Birch Lake Elementary, and Lakeaires Elementary.

The projects are part of a long-range facilities plan including 16 projects in total. All are being funded by a $326-million school bond referendum—the largest in state history, according to the press release—that passed in 2019. The new schools were developed in response to enrollment growth and building maintenance issues, and the larger construction plan is scheduled to take place in phases through the 2024–25 academic year.

North Star Elementary covers 103,000 square feet and cost about $28.8 million. It will house 720 students in grades K–5, and amenities include classrooms and a learning commons area, a media center, gym, storm shelter area, kitchen and cafeteria, a conference room and administrative space. Outdoor areas include athletic fields and a bus loop.

North Star Elementary School
North Star Elementary School

The project at Birch Lake Elementary involved the renovation of about 5,200 square feet and cost $3.6 million. Additions include new classrooms and flex spaces, a media center, an asphalt playground, and a conference room and offices. School safety and security installations were updated, and other renovations were made to the family lounge, learning commons spaces, bathrooms and offices.

Finally, upgrades to Lakeaires Elementary covered 5,149 square feet and cost $1.9 million. New spaces include a media center, a walk-in freezer and dry storage room, administrative space for the kitchen staff, MEP upgrades and renovations to restrooms and the learning commons.

The three completed schools were all designed by Wold Architects and Engineers.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • LAN, Inc. Opens Office in College Station, Texas

    Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) recently announced the opening of a new office in College Station, Texas, to support its regional client base, according to a news release. The organization provides engineering, design, and program management services for water, wastewater, transportation, stormwater, and education clients in the Brazos Valley.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.