Sand Springs Public Schools | Freshman Academy & STEM Center
The is a two-story 51,800 SF classroom, commons, and administrative office addition to Charles Page High School including site work and utilities and the renovation of approximately 10,000 SF of existing building. Construction was phased to allow the existing school campus to remain open and functioning during the construction process.
In the Sand Springs School district, the 9th Grade center was located in a 105-year-old building. While the building has significant historical value, it was not suitable for continued classroom learning space. The community came together to approve the largest school bond ever in Sand Springs. The Freshman Academy and Stem Center were a part of the $33 million bond package. The construction allowed for the reunification of freshmen with the rest of the Sand Springs high school students at the Charles Page campus. In recent years, the district has had to shuttle more than 75% of freshmen to the high school for daily activities. The two-story, 58,806sf building offers a new grand entry, reception and attendance offices to serve both the Freshman Academy and the existing Charles Page High School.
The new construction will also provide class space for expanded curriculum in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields. Due to the structural height and the high efficiency systems installed, contractor coordination and robust safety plans were critical to achieve success and with a zero-incident safety record.
The original contract value was $12,482,000.00 and performed as Construction Manager at Risk with a Guaranteed Maximum Price.
From the beginning of this project LDKerns worked with the State of Oklahoma Department of Labor to participate in their Voluntary Safety Consultation Program. The program brings state OSHA inspectors to the site for voluntary inspection. With the numbers of subcontractors on the site it was critical to have this guidance and accountability.
This project was about 30% complete in March when the country shut down due to COVID 19. Our local ABC Chapter worked feverishly with local and state governments on our behalf to have our industry and workers clearly deemed essential. After this hurdle, next came the creation of new health policies and training for working in the COVID 19 world. Our safety partners developed an Emergency Control Plan with video training for our employees on how to proceed safely. LDKerns made hard hat stickers to clearly distinguish who had been trained. We purchased backpack blowers that would be used daily to fog our sites with virucides. Hand sanitation stations, gators and face shields were all provided to employees. We are proud that this site was never shut down due to COVID 19 and there were no lost time accidents or illnesses.
Building Features and Highlights Include:
- Substantial site upgrades, including retaining walls, site drainage systems, bus loop, and complete contour adjustment to allow for construction on a hillside. Over 1000 truckloads of select fill.
- New modern lobby and entry portal to the new Stem Center.
- Massive entry concrete patio, stair, and ramp system.
- New state of the art stem lab.
- Modern dining hall.
- All new 9th grade classrooms and admit areas.
- Completely new bus loop
- Renovations of over 8000sf of the existing Charles Page High School, including, classroom, administration, restrooms, and corridors.
Specific Challenges:
- Challenging site, Project was built on a hill with a 9-foot increase in grade.
- Collaboration of utilities new and old for one functional system.
- Fast track project delivery / schedule.
- Occupied building.
- Completion of extensive internal gutter system requiring the tie in of existing roof systems.
Overall Project Success:
- Due to the continual Safety Meetings and training, there were no Safety incidents to report.
- Weekly contractor/subcontractor coordination meetings kept a tight schedule on track.
- The three-week look-ahead schedule helped to identify the areas that needed progression.
- Construction was completed on time and on budget.
