Building Futures

July 5, 2006

In this edition, find updates on Madison Elementary, Northern Middle School,  Northern High School, Gibsonville Elementary, Guilford Elementary, Reedy Fork Elementary, Irving Park Elementary, Florence Elementary, Peeler Elementary, Peck Elementary, Southwest High, Northeast High, Northeast Middle, Southern High, Southern Middle, Oak View Elementary, Ferndale Middle, Stokesdale Elementary, Pleasant Garden Elementary, Parkview Elementary, Union Hill Elementary and Jamestown Middle School.

For the first time, students and faculty at Madison Elementary School were able to meet in one place at the same time to celebrate the fifth-grade graduation. In addition to celebrating the success of the graduating class, there was another reason to celebrate: the completion of the school’s new multipurpose room, stage and storage area.

Madison Elementary’s new addition is just one of the 23 bond-funded projects that are currently under construction or have been completed. “We are thrilled with the successes we’ve seen in our 2003 bond program,” said Construction Program Manager Dave Smith. “We’ve already turned two projects ahead of schedule. In light of the fact that we’ve had the wettest summer in recent memory, all of our projects remain on schedule or ahead of schedule.”

Click here for photo.

Just travel to northern Guilford County to see what Guilford County Schools have in the works. At Northern Middle, crews have put in the roof and windows, protecting classroom wings from the weather. This process, called called “dried-in,” makes it possible for interior finishes to begin. Construction of the raised floor system is also underway.

In the meantime, tradesmen are working on the plumbing, mechanical and electrical infrastructure in the kitchen and dining areas. Expected to open by January of 2007, the school boasts parent drop-off drives, separate bus loading area, a lighted track and soccer facility, lighted football field, lighted baseball and softball fields and a field house with restrooms and storage. The school also features natural day lighting, which has already proved itself as a benefit to contractors working in interior spaces.

The school has already received the Energy Star rating from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for estimated energy performance. For it and other school’s designs, the district received a Sustainable Energy Leadership Award for making an outstanding contribution in helping North Carolina achieve its energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability goals.

Click here for photo.

Just next door to the middle school, the site of Northern High is constantly changing. Our crews have poured the foundations, closed-in the kitchen, dining areas and a common area that features a skylight, and pre-cast panels are being delivered and installed daily.

The Northern High complex, capable of housing 1600 students, includes academic classrooms, workforce development classrooms, main and auxiliary gymnasiums, an auditorium, cafeteria, media center, arts education classrooms and staff and student support facilities.

The state-of-the-art athletic facilities include a stadium for track and field events as well as football. The stadium includes permanent seating for 2,500 on the home side and 1,500 on the visitor side, as well as restroom, concessions and press box facilities. In addition to the stadium, the complex features lighted baseball and softball fields, a combination soccer and lacrosse field and two practice fields. Six tennis courts are also under construction.

Click here for photo.

While not a brand-new school, a new and improved Gibsonville Elementary is in progress on the same site as the old school. The classroom capacity should increase by 314 seats. The masonry of the building is mostly complete, and interior metal stud, drywall, heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) ductwork and standing seam metal roof are well underway. Slated to be completed mid-fall, details and logistics of when the staff and students will move into their new school are still pending.

Click here for photo.

Construction has just begun on another new school – Guilford Elementary. With an opening date slated for the 2007-08 school year, construction will move quickly on the 740-student capacity school. All of the planning is complete and earthmoving operations are underway.

Click here for photo.

The new Reedy Fork Elementary is in the works. The design of the school is completed, and GCS will award the contract for construction in early July. Grading work is in progress currently.

Construction isn’t just limited to brand-new schools. Irving Park Elementary received additional space: eight classrooms, two resource rooms, restrooms, storage, equipment rooms and a dining room expansion filled in where an older building was demolished. The school also welcomed new paved parking, driveways, canopies and landscaping.

Click here for photo.

Florence Elementary is a bit more comfortable now that HVAC construction is complete. Next on tap for the school is construction of 21 new classrooms. Capable of handling an additional 353 students, the additional space is expected to be ready for an August opening.

Click here for photo.

In mid-July, construction will be complete on Peeler Elementary’s new multipurpose room to facilitate the arts education program. In addition to restrooms, storage and an equipment room, the project includes paving, landscaping and canopies.

Click here for photo.

Upon completion of a seven-classroom addition, Peck Elementary will accommodate 452 students. The dining room at Peck will see an expansion as well, and the entire project is expected to be done by the start of the 2006-07 school year.

Click here for photo.

By early December, the Cowboys at Southwest High will have a lot more space in which to roam. A new cafeteria received its occupancy permit in May, and construction is underway on 14 new classrooms, a new auxiliary gym, new restrooms and storage and equipment rooms. The two-story building has metal stud wall construction in place as well as block wall construction.

Click here for photo.

About six months remain in the construction at Northeast High. The brick veneer is almost complete on the gym and classroom additions. The school will be able to accommodate 295 additional students in its classrooms, and with an addition to the dining room, the dining capacity will be 1600 students.

Click here for photo.

Just next door at Northeast Middle, construction should wrap up by the end of the year on a new two-story classroom building, auxiliary gym, restrooms, storage and mechanical rooms. In addition to the new building, the dining room will receive upgrades and an expansion.

Click here for photo.

Across the county, workers are busy on a 14-classroom addition, a new media center, auxiliary gym and dining room expansion at Southern High.  The existing media center will be subdivided into classroom space during renovations to the existing building which include upgrades to bathrooms, fire safety systems, flooring, Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility and general renovations. 

Click here for photo.

Right around the corner, construction on the brand new Southern Middle has begun, even though it is not slated to open until 2007-08. The three classroom wings have exterior concrete masonry unit walls, bar joists and metal decks in place, and brick veneer is in progress. One completed, the project will include athletic facilities with a lighted combination track and field and soccer facility, a lighted baseball field, a softball field, two practice fields and a field house with restrooms and storage.

Click here for photo.

Recent demolition took place at Oak View Elementary so that new construction could take place. With the old building out of the way, a 13-classroom addition is underway. Masonry, underground plumbing and underground electrical are in progress. Upgrades are being made to the existing cafeteria and multipurpose areas as well.

Click here for photo.

A classroom addition is also underway at Ferndale Middle. Although construction is still in the early stages, a building containing six new core classrooms and two encore classrooms has a completed layout and footings, which are the structural foundation for the building itself, are underway. The new building will contain technology infrastructure and equipment.

The dining room at Ferndale is also under construction, including an expansion and a renovation to the existing structure.

When school resumes this fall at Stokesdale Elementary, students will have a change of scenery on campus. Construction is expected to be complete on a new building, and the school entrance will be on Athens Road, rather than Highway 150. The new building will house 14 teaching spaces and the relocated administration offices. The campus will continue to change as construction on a new multipurpose room and media center will begin in January of 2007.

Still in the design phase, Pleasant Garden Elementary should begin construction in fall 2006. The new construction will include six classrooms, two resource rooms, a teacher work room, kitchen, dining room, restrooms, storage and equipment rooms.

Parkview Elementary is also awaiting construction on a new addition to the school. Upon approval from the NC Department of Public Instruction, construction is scheduled to begin in late-July on six classrooms, two resource rooms, a multipurpose room and extensions to the media center and administrative area.

Union Hill Elementary is still in its earliest stage, with the design phase and property acquisition phase occurring simultaneously. It will be at least four months until the school’s design is adapted, the school goes through the proper city, county and state approvals and the bidding of contracts takes place.

A design for the new replacement of Jamestown Middle is 95% complete, but the project is on hold at the time due to insufficient funding. Once the green light is given for this project, building construction will begin in short order.

Without the 2003 bond referendum, none of these projects would have been possible. Kevin Lear, Chief Operations Officer at Guilford County Schools explained: “Had we not passed the bond, we would be housing several thousand more kids in mobile classrooms at schools that are already overcrowded. Overcrowding in schools dramatically increases the challenges faced by educators in providing a safe and comfortable learning environment. By passing the bond, we were able to provide new schools and additions to schools thereby reducing the pressure on extended use of cafeterias, auditoriums, classroom space, etc. It will be necessary to continue the capital bond program in order to accommodate the more than 1,700 additional kids we receive each year.”

Look for our next full construction update in early October 2006 at www.gcsnc.com.

Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina serving more than 67,000 students at 107 schools. With approximately 9,600 employees, the district’s mission is to graduate responsible citizens prepared to succeed in higher education, or in the career of their choice.  Guilford County Schools is a national leader in providing specialized schools and instructional programs designed to meet the educational needs of a culturally diverse citizenship.  For more information, visit the district’s Web site at www.gcsnc.com.