San Diego Unified Modernizing Pair Of Schools

By Eric Althoff

SAN DIEGO—Architecture firm Roesling Nakamura Terada and general contracting firm Sundt are collaborating on projects for the San Diego Unified School District. The pair of firms will be performing modernizing and updating work at Morse High School and Marston Middle School between now and completion in 2024.

The $35.5 million work at Morse High School entails construction of a 19,000-square-foot performing arts center as well as a 12,000-square-foot administration building. Furthermore, the project will encompass renovating Morse’s existing physical education building, updating the parking areas, as well as redesigning the campus quad and reconfiguring certain outdoor spaces for accessibility compliance.

The reimagined main entryway is meant to be more secure, allowing for a single point of ingress to the campus. Along the same lines, more security cameras will be installed and a perimeter fencing erected.

Meanwhile, at Marston Middle School, the plans call for upgrades to the physical education facilities, expanding the classroom options inside and building out an entirely new cafeteria. Sundt will also be building a joint-use grass athletic field as well as a new gymnasium.

Landscaping improvements will be undertaken at both campuses, which can be an especially difficult undertaking at present given the extreme drought conditions affecting California.

In a statement about the work with SDUSD, Mike Casey, Sundt’s project executive, said that this provides an opportunity for the contractor to commence modernizing schools across the entire district.

“Both of our project teams are looking forward to completing the transformation of these schools,” Casey said.

Funds for the improvements to Morse High School were approved by voters in San Diego County.

“It’s wonderful to see the investments we are making at schools like Morse High and Point Loma High,” Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, board of education president for San Diego Unified, said recently in a statement released by the district. “While they are two very diverse campuses, they share one thing in common: they benefit from local bond funds. And the investment shows.”

Sundt, which has offices in San Diego, Sacramento and Orange County, has undertaken educational work throughout the Golden State. Most recently for SDUSD, the firm completed modernization at Emerson Elementary School. ENR has ranked Sundt as the 58th largest general contractor in the country. The company has been in business well over 130 years.