Dream Lake Elementary School Renovation

APOPKA, Fla.— The 90,637-square-foot Dream Lake Elementary School building in Apopka is currently undergoing a $17.9 million renovation to house more students and improve technology. The demolition has already begun and the Orange County Public School district has said that the school, which sits on a 16.4-acre site, is set to reopen in the fall of 2016.

The renovation will allow Dream Lake Elementary School, which had an original rated capacity of 460 students, to hold an additional 370 (for a total capacity of 830). The school’s current enrollment is 824.

The newly renovated school will include a new classroom building, and the district also plans to renovate two existing classroom buildings and update the current technology.

During the renovation the elementary school will remain closed. Dream Lake Elementary students will attend classes at the former Apopka High School ninth grade center until the renovation is complete.

The bidding and interview process for contractors began in September of 2014, and the final decision was made on Oct. 22, 2014. Charles Perry Partners Inc., a leading contracting firm based in Gainesville, Fla., was chosen as the general contractor for the project. The company has worked on several other Orange County schools, including Westridge Middle School and Freedom Middle School, both located near Orlando, Fla.

Harvard Jolly Architecture Inc., a design firm headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla, will design dream Lake Elementary. The company has designed more than 10 million square feet of learning environments, amounting to more than $1.8 billion in construction. The Harvard Jolly team will work with the Dream Lake Elementary School administrators and faculty throughout the redesign.