Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

High-School Construction to Finish Early, Under Budget Due to COVID

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/26/21

Construction work on Hendersonville High School, located in Hendersonville, N.C., is set for completion in August 2022—11 months ahead of schedule. The project will also come in about half a million dollars under its $59.1-million budget.

Henderson County Capital Projects Manager David Berry attributes the accelerated timeline to sitework during the summer before construction, as well as a reduced student presence in the school due to the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed workers more and longer access to the site. He announced the news to the Board of Commissioners, who voted to amend its contract with Vannoy Construction to incorporate the new schedule and financial information.

“This is, for me, exciting news to bring forward to this board,” said Berry. “This whole project has been not only the most expensive that Henderson County—I believe—has taken on; it’s been the most difficult. And without everybody’s cooperation, we wouldn’t be where we are.”

The project includes renovations to two campus buildings (the Stillwell Building and the gymnasium completed in 1974) as well as a new-two story building. The new building will play home to administrative offices; a student media center; a new cafeteria; and new science, chorus, and band classrooms. The new building is set to open in August 2021 instead of its original December 2021 completion date.

“Students are going to benefit from this,” said Henderson County Public Schools Superintendent John Bryant. “Taxpayers are going to benefit from this. While logistical challenges will be presented, we welcome those challenges. We know that we’ll be successful in meeting those challenges because they benefit the children of our community.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Health & Science Building

    Health & Science Building

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Health & Science Building has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.