Nebraska SD Breaks Ground on New Gym, Commons

Osceola Public Schools in Nebraska held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $7.7 million new building that will be constructed between the elementary school and high school.

The 26,000-square-foot addition will include a daycare, a new kitchen facility with updated equipment, a commons area and a new gymnasium that will improve the elementary school’s PE program.

Plans for the school building began in 2015 and after the district incorporated community feedback into their plans, the bond was passed earlier this year.

The commons area will function both as a cafeteria and a space for various school activities and events and will be linked to the new gym which seats 1,000. The gym will greatly enhance the elementary PE program and provide a space for physical activity during inclement weather. The new addition will include four locker rooms, an athletic training room, coaches’ offices and a new parking lot.

As part of this construction project, the main entrance to the elementary school will be renovated to provide a secure access point for visitors during school hours. There will also be a new safer walkway for students and parents.

Construction will begin next month and is expected to take a year to complete. Wilkins ADP is the architect and BD Construction is serving as the construction manager.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California Middle School Breaks Ground on Major Renovation Project

    The Hillsborough City School District (HCSD) in Hillsborough, Calif., recently began construction on new multipurpose and administration facilities for Crocker Middle School, according to a news release.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Tennessee Middle School Completes Health, Life Safety Renovations

    The Giles County Board of Education in Pulaski, Tenn., recently announced that a series of renovation projects has been completed at Bridgeforth Middle School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers and Brindley Construction to modernize building systems at one of the district’s oldest schools.