Indiana District Approves $80M for Two Construction Projects

The Tippecanoe School Corporation in Lafayette, Ind., recently approved $80 million in bids for two district construction projects. The first is the construction of a new facility for Klondike Middle School, with comes with an estimated cost of $69 million from Kettelhut Construction. The second is an expansion project at Mayflower Mill Elementary School, according to local news.

The district plans to redistribute students among different facilities once construction is complete. The elementary school will serve students in grades K–2; students in grades 3–5, currently attending the elementary school, will move into the existing middle school building to be renamed Klondike Intermediate School; and students in grades 6–8 will move into the new Klondike Middle School building.

TSC Superintendent Dr. Scott Hanback said that the existing middle school was built during the 1970s and underwent renovations in the 1990s. The new Klondike Middle School building was originally approved in March and is set for completion by fall 2024.

The existing elementary school, meanwhile, was built in the 1950s and has seen numerous additions since then. The current expansion project is a result of rising population in the area.

“They’re exploding in population, and they need more classroom space,” said Brian DeFreese, TSC Board President. “So, we approved all the funding to add more classrooms; bigger spaces; and new, more modern spaces. So, it’s an expansion. There are two phases; we’ve approved the first phase. There’s a second phase to it that adds even more to the interior, and then we wanted to make a more secure entrance to the school, and that’ll be in the second phase.”

The elementary school expansion was originally budgeted at $15 million, but the board received a $10 million bid from the J. R. Kelly Company. Construction on both facilities will proceed while students are out of school for the summer, and the elementary school project has an estimated completion date of fall 2023.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on New Office Building

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new office building for its campus Research Park, according to a news release. The university partnered with Hoar Construction on the 34,740-square-foot Center for Aerospace Technology II (CAT II), which will be used for research and lab purposes.

  • South Texas K–12 District Debuts Region’s First Electric Bus Fleet

    The Valley View Independent School District in Pharr, Texas, recently announced a partnership with Highland Electric Fleets to launch the district’s—and the region’s—first fleet of all-electric school buses, according to a news release.

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

Digital Edition