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Hoffman builds on successful vote for new school
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| The
main entrance for the new high school is almost ready to welcome students for
the upcoming school year. Photos courtesy of Hoffman LLC |
The first challenge was the toughest.
And for Hoffman LLC, the obstacle appeared about two years before construction even started on a new high school for the Northland Pines School District.
That’s when Hoffman agreed to help the district pass a referendum for the 250,000-square-foot school.
“With any school project, the biggest challenge is positioning the School District for a successful referendum,” said Thomas Cox, principal with Hoffman. “You do that by finding the right tax impact and the right cost.”
The price was right for Eagle River voters, many of whom rejected a 1995 referendum for a new high school to replace the 30-year-old structure.
“It was in poor shape,” Cox said. “It just used up its useful life earlier than expected. That’s probably why they failed with the first referendum.”
With nearly a 2-1 vote in May 2003 approving the project, Hoffman gave itself a seventh straight successful referendum and an overall 85 percent success rate.
Then it was time to actually give the voters what they asked for. And that is no easy task, considering the structure will be the state’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified high school, and it’s only 30 feet from the existing school, Cox said.
“They have a campus site, with the old high school across a service street from the K-8 school,” he said. “They wanted to maintain that, so we wrapped the new building in an L shape around the east and south sides of the old high school.”
The new school will feature a two-story classroom wing connected to a single-story commons, theater, music lab and a 50,000-square-foot field house. The 50- to 70-year structure is designed for 600 students with expansion possibilities for 800.
| Project
Essentials Project Name: Northland Pines School District New High School Location: Eagle River Owner: Northland Pines School District Construction Manager and Architect: Hoffman LLC, Appleton Estimated Project Cost: $28.5 million Start Date: Spring 2004 Scheduled Completion: Fall 2006 Project fact A focus on water conservation for the new high school should save the district about $6,000 a year. Part of that commitment calls for waterless urinals throughout the school. |
The LEED elements come into play through a focus on water conservation as well as daylighting in the classrooms, HVAC conservation strategies and material recycling.
As if location and environmental considerations aren’t enough, Hoffman’s team also must fit the project within a tight time line. As the job heads into July, Cox said, 90 percent of new construction should be completed, the team should be on the tail end of deconstructing the old school, and site work for the new structure should be under way to get the new school ready for the fall semester.
“These kinds of projects, no matter where you are, are always a challenge,” Cox said.