Midwest Construction Report and Bids to Watch

Beginning in the March/April print edition of School Construction News, subscribers will see a new section: The School Construction News Construction Report. Originally an online-only publication, the Construction Report is now featured weekly on the magazine’s Twitter account and in each print edition. It will showcase both active bids and projects to watch from across the country, giving readers an inside track on important upcoming projects. Here is a sample of what to expect in School Construction News’ newest regular section. For more bids and information, check out the March/April 2016 issue of School Construction News, available soon.

School Construction News Construction Report:

The University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee will seek bids beginning April 7 for the renovation and modernization of existing classroom and lecture halls. Work will include general construction, HVAC, fire protection and electrical construction in four separate halls. Construction on Cunningham Hall will focus on reconfiguring two existing general spaces, new mediated classrooms and adjacent office space. Mitchell Hall construction will include removing concrete risers and seating from two existing general classrooms and reconfiguring the space with moveable tables and chairs. Construction on Bolton Hall will include reconfiguring four existing general classrooms into two 60-seat mediated classrooms. Construction on the fourth hall, yet unnamed, will include providing technology, finishes and furnishing upgrades. For additional information, visit the Wisconsin Department of Administration website.

Bid Package No. 2 documents will soon be available through New Cloquet School District No. 94 in Cloquet, Minn. A pre-bid conference will be held April 28 at 2:00 p.m. at the Cloquet Senior High School Auditorium at 1000 18th Street in Cloquet. Bid documents will be made available on April 25. The owner will construct a new 142,123-square-foot middle school on the south side of the existing high school site. The project will require site clearing, new site utilities, concrete, precast, waterproofing, rough and finish carpentry, roofing, aluminum windows, doors and storefronts, metal studs and drywall, interior finishes, a new pool, fire protection, mechanical systems, electrical systems, security and fire alarm systems, new parking lot/drives/sidewalks and site restoration. The project’s construction manager is Kraus-Anderson Construction Company of Duluth, Minn. The architect is ARY of St. Louis Park, Minn. Questions regarding the pre-bid conference can be directed to Deb Coffman, project assistant with Kraus-Anderson Construction Company, at deb.coffman@krausanderson.com.

East Aurora School District 131 in Chicago has proposed nearly $70 million in construction work throughout the district’s middle and high schools. The plan would add an additional 20 classrooms, a fine arts wing and a relocated and renovated cafeteria and kitchen to East Aurora High School. The school’s library, locker rooms, hallways and science rooms would also be renovated. The proposal includes a budget of $11 million in HVAC and roofing at Cowherd, Simmons and Waldo Middle Schools as well as $7 million in facility work at the high school. Construction on the high school stadium is also part of the proposal and is estimated at approximately $5 million. Construction on the high school additions and stadium could begin as early as this summer, according to the Chicago Tribune. For more information, refer to page 139 of the Illinois State Board of Education’s Feb. 10 meeting notes.