Stahl Construction Moves Forward on Minnesota School Projects
OTSEGO, Minn. — Otsego E-8 is the centerpiece of a four-school construction project currently underway for the Independent School District (ISD) 728 Elk River Area School District in Minnesota. Voters approved the $98 million bond and operating referendum that supported the project in the 2014 general election.
The 124,000-square-foot E-8 school will be the first ISD 728 school of its kind to be used for instructing a wide age range of students. Early childhood learners, kindergarten through fifth-grade students and sixth through eighth grade middle schoolers will all be taught in the same facility. This will help alleviate crowding issues at Rogers Elementary, Rogers Middle School and Hassan Elementary School as well as provide space dedicated to early learning within the district, according to Star News, a local news source.
“The City Council is very excited to see construction underway on the new E-8 building in Otsego,” said Otsego Mayor Jessica Stockamp in a statement. “We know this will meet the needs of both current and future families in our community that are within the ISD 728 school district. We are also looking forward to more discussion with the school board and staff for planning future facilities based on our continued growth in Otsego.”
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for Otsego E-8 last spring as part of the plan for the new school to be completed by August 2017. The three other schools that make up the four-school building campaign include an addition and renovation to the Elk River High School gymnasium and activities center, an auditorium and science wing addition to Zimmerman High School and Middle School as well as a 7,300-square-foot addition to Zimmerman Early Childhood School.
The Elk River High School addition and renovation are scheduled for completion early next year, while the Zimmerman projects were completed earlier this fall. Leading the construction efforts on all of the projects is St. Louis Park, Minn.-headquartered Stahl Construction Company, with St. Paul, Minn.-based Wold Architects & Engineers as the design team.