Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Room(s) to Breathe

  • 05/01/17
Riverside Elementary 

NJPA and Gordian helped to provide a solution to construction and timing problems faced by Riverside Elementary as they implemented an expansion to ease student crowding issues.

Due to a sudden influx of students, Riverside Elementary School in Brainerd, Minn., found itself in dire need of an expansion. It had reached the point during the 2014-15 school year that students were attending classes in an abandoned locker room.

Faced with the pressing deadline of an impending new school year, the district looked to National Joint Powers Alliance and Gordian ezIQC for a fast solution that still met procurement requirements.

At the onset of the project, the school laid out three stipulations:

  • Make the budget work;
  • Complete the project by the start of the school year; and
  • Use as many local subcontractors, suppliers and workers as possible.

Crews broke ground for the 12,150-foot addition in March 2015. The project scope included seven new classrooms, boys’ and girls’ bathrooms, plus bathrooms in two classrooms, a staff work space for copier machines and computers, and a staff bathroom. Overall, the project increased the school’s space by approximately 20 percent.

By accessing the competitively solicited ezIQC contract with Hy-Tec Construction, available through NJPA, the project was accelerated and the school district’s three main goals were achieved.

The project was completed within the budget, on time, and 93 percent of the subcontractors and suppliers were located within a 20-mile radius of the work site.

Earl Wolleat, Brainerd Public Schools director of building & grounds, praised the ezIQC process and work of Hy-Tec:

“It wasn’t on time, it was ahead of schedule. And that’s one of the things that still amazes me about this project. It came in on budget, and you know, that’s all somebody from buildings and grounds can expect is on time and on budget, [then] move on to the next project,” he says.

www.njpacoop.org

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).