The Fort Calhoun Junior-Senior High School project consists of a 50,000 SF addition and the complete renovation of the existing 43,000 SF school. The project includes a competition gym, kitchen, cafeteria, administrative offices, fine and performing arts spaces, storm shelter, industrial tech, and a secured entry. The original school was built with an open floor plan and was reconfigured to modern learning spaces during this renovation. The project was completed in four phases over two years while the school was fully occupied.
Boyd Jones was involved with the owner and architect from the early planning stages. One of the biggest challenges on the project was determining where all of the students would go during the complex renovation project. Several different options were priced; including portable classrooms and alternate venues for the students to be located. After much study, Boyd Jones recommended that temporary classrooms be built within the new gymnasium space and utilized as swing space during the remodel. This solution also helped show additional value to building a gymnasium, which was an area of concern for many voters during the bond issue election.
One of the functions of the construction manager is to ensure that the project cost remains within the expectation of the owner and that there are no surprises at the time of bid. Boyd Jones worked with the owner and architect through the programming and budgeting for the project based on welldefined expectations. The end result of this team approach was that the project cost came in .02% under our original conceptual cost budget.
Another phasing challenge we faced was providing enough restrooms for the public during sporting events for the time when the existing school was under renovation. As part of the original renovation scope, the drain lines for these restrooms were slated to be replaced and run through the existing school. This work could not be completed prior to basketball season as the students are currently occupying that space. Our team formulated the solution of re-routing the drain lines through the addition so the work could be completed in time to allow public access to the restrooms during sporting events in the fall of 2015.
