QUINCY, Mass.— Calling it a “building of hope,” city leaders in Quincy celebrated the completion of its newest school, the South-West Middle School, a $58 million 96,000-square-foot facility that will usher in the next generation of learning. BOND, the Northeast’s premier building, civil, utility and energy construction firm, built the new school on time and on budget and celebrated the milestone alongside community members, students and school officials.

During the course of the two-year project, BOND developed phasing and logistic plans, constructability analyses, proposed value engineering alternatives to maintain the project budget, and then constructed the new building just a few feet away from the Sterling Middle School, the occupied building being replaced.

“We’re extremely proud of this important milestone at South-West Middle School,” said Frank Hayes, COO and President of BOND’s Building Division. “The complexity of this type of building working alongside a fully-occupied school allowed us to think strategically at every step of the project.”

South-West Middle School features collaborative learning spaces, a media center, gymnasium, music and art rooms, administrative offices, a café and an auditorium. The state-of-the-art learning facility is complete with STEM circulation zones that encourage project-based learning, an open floor plan and glass walls to create a synergetic environment.

New safety enhancements were built into the facility including glass walls electrified with a film that turns the glass opaque with the flip of a switch – making it impossible to see who is inside the classroom – an added safety measure in the event of a lockdown.

“Building off the growing trend of innovative and modernized schools, the light-filled spaces and technology-rich classrooms allow this new building to facilitate a high-quality of student engagement for the next generation of learning,” said Robert Murray, BOND President.

“We love to build these facilities, because we really see what happens in them,” said Ken Johnson, VP Education, BOND. “The speed, the new way that teachers are going to be able to teach, the opportunities for them to create, I think is tremendous. It gives us a great deal of satisfaction to be able to contribute to that, and to know that we’ve helped make a difference in these students’ lives and in the community.”

Since 1907, BOND has managed many of the Northeast’s most complex construction projects. BOND operates as a construction manager for academic, healthcare and life science clients and a self-performing general contractor for the power and energy industry.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Voters in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties will decide in September whether or not to approve a $190 million bond to build new schools in the Sioux Falls School District.

According to The Sioux Falls Argus Leader, the school district will have a new high school, middle school, and elementary school by 2024 if voters do approve the bond.

Construction of the new schools is said to address an already increased 20 percent enrollment over the last decade, in addition to a projected 10 percent increase in enrollment for the next decade, according to The Argus Leader.

According to the District’s website, over 23,000 students are currently served among 23 elementary schools, five middle schools, and three traditional high schools. Although the district has already built three schools since 2014 to address increasing enrollment, The Argus Leader reports that a new high school has not been built in 26 years, and that this would be the first bond issue since 1997.

The Argus Leader reported on Monday evening, July 23 that the school board voted unanimously to set the election date for Tuesday, Sept. 18; the district would need more than 60 percent of voters to approve the bond for it to pass.

“This is the right thing for our district,” said board member Kate Parker, to The Argus Leader. “We are a growing city, and we need to make sure the children of our city have every opportunity. That’s going to mean more facilities, so those kids have a place to be educated.”

According to an earlier report from The Argus Leader, the new high school would cost $82.4 million, less than the original estimated cost of $84.7 million, and the new middle school would cost an estimated $43.1 million.

The high school would be located on the district’s northwest side, and the middle school on the district’s southeast side.

In addition to building the new schools, The Argus Leader reports that the bond would also be used to renovate and upgrade ADA and safety requirements at other campuses, although an estimated cost has yet to be disclosed.

Reports from The Argus Leader contributed to this story.

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