Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Minnesota Middle School Begins $24M Renovation, Addition Project

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/08/23

Construction firm Kraus-Anderson recently announced that work has begun on a $24-million renovation project for Central Middle School in White Bear Lake, Minn., according to a news release. Additions will total 108,000 square feet and include a new gym, a new fitness area, an expanded cafeteria and kitchen, and renovations to the former district office space to add new classrooms. Construction is scheduled for completion in late summer 2025.

The school district also partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers for the project’s design. Further improvements will include updates to classrooms, the media center, learning commons and flex areas, safety and security updates, and long-term facility management upgrades.

The Central Middle School renovation is just one of many projects included in a $326-million building bond that voters in the White Bear Lake Area School District approved in 2019. Kraus-Anderson is also nearing completion on another project that was part of that bond—$5.8 million in additions and expansions to Oneka Elementary School.

“Kraus-Anderson is proud to be working with the White Bear Lake Area School District on numerous schools that fall under this extensive referendum,” said Kraus-Anderson senior project manager AJ Lillesve. “The overall, multi-year project is addressing enrollment growth, updating aging facilities, and creating flexibly designed learning spaces to support student-centered instruction.”

The news release reports that projects currently underway include a $225-million, 595,000-square-foot addition to White Bear Lake Area High School; as well as $5.2-million and 14,500 square feet in renovations to the White Bear Lake Area Learning Center. Completed projects include the construction of a new elementary school and district transportation facility, as well as additions, renovations, and upgrades to seven other district elementary schools.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.

  • Wenger Names New Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts, Controls

    Wenger Corporation, which provides products and solutions for music and theater education, performing arts and athletic storage, recently announced the hiring of a new Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts and Controls.

  • 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.

  • UNH Marks Construction Milestone on Oceanic Exploration Facility

    The University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., recently celebrated a major construction milestone with a beam-signing ceremony for the new Center of Excellence for Operational Ocean and Great Lakes Mapping, according to a news release. The facility’s ultimate goal is to support research, training and technical assistance in ocean mapping.