White Sulphur Springs K-12 Consolidation
Project overview
After decades of neglect the existing century old White Sulphur Elementary school and 58-year-old Junior High/High School fell into obsolescence. In 2014, the community passed a 9.8-million-dollar bond to consolidate and renovate their existing buildings. The goal was to upgrade the overall quality, safety and effectiveness of the teaching environment.
Process
- We began engaging community members in face-to-face interviews to gain a full understanding of the project and get introduced to the community. Members of the school board, faculty, management teams, and the public were included to fully understand the needs associated with this project.
- During phase one of construction the new classrooms and multi-purpose/cafeteria were built and did not affect the students’ daily activities.
- Once the classrooms and multi-purpose/cafeteria were finished, during phase 2, students were moved into the new classrooms and demolition of the current High School/Junior High began. That was followed by constructing the administration wing of the building that will connect the classrooms to the multipurpose/cafeteria, gym, and shop
Outcome
In 2017, the three-year design and construction schedule was complete, transforming the White Sulphur Springs School District into a contemporary school that would be sustainable in the community for future generations. The new school has integrated modern access control features improving safety and security. It has upgraded all the communications, networking, and technology systems providing students with twenty first century learning. A spacious new library for community and board meetings, as well as a new gymnasium/ multi-purpose space, and a large community cafeteria provides modern HVAC and lighting that saves utility costs for the district. Lastly, the classrooms are flexible and can be adapted to new teaching environments and programs.
Some of the greatest challenges were a difficult and sloped site with marginal soil conditions and maintaining safety for the 200 hundred students that remained on the active site during construction. With detailed and accurate phasing schedules and close coordination with the school’s administration, all the community’s objectives and expectations were met. We managed to stay on budget and on schedule through the cooperation and teamwork of owner, design team and builder.
—Larry Markuson, School Superintendent
