District Awards Contracts for High-School-to-Middle-School Renovation Project

The Board of School Directors for the Avon Grove School District in West Grove, Pa., recently approved contracts for a renovation project to convert a high school building into a middle school. The following contracts were awarded:

Bidding opened on May 13, and because they were lower than anticipated, the district was able to select alternate bids for additional renovations like ceiling and lighting fixture replacements. Other tasks include installing new boilers and adding replacement seating, aisle lighting and carpeting in the auditorium.

The total award for all contracts comes to $16 million. The budget for the project is $22 million, and its current cost is about $1.37 million under that. Renovations are slated to begin during summer 2022.

The Avon Grove School District is in the process of constructing a new high school and converting the current high school into a middle school. Both facilities will open to students in time for the fall 2022 semester. Phase 1 of the project is constructing the new high school on a currently vacant, 153-acre site. Once completed, the facility will house about 1,750 students in grades 9-12 with a total capacity of 2,200.

Project priorities include the installation of advanced security technology and protocols; a building design that encourages collaborative, active learning; using energy-efficient and sustainable design and construction processes; and using taxpayer money resourcefully.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • 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.