Indiana School Board Tags Architectural Firm for $65M Projects

GOSHEN, Ind. — Goshen School Board members on May 29 voted unanimously to approve the hiring of architectural and engineering firm Barton Coe Vilamaa as the architect for an upcoming $65 million construction project, according to the Goshen News.

Barton Coe Vilamaa is no stranger to Goshen Community Schools (GCS), and in fact was part of the team that worked on the school corporation’s last major construction endeavor, a $17.15 million referendum project finalized in late 2015. This previous endeavor included substantial construction projects at both Goshen High School and Goshen Middle School, including up to $10 million for a new aquatic center at the middle school to replace the outdated pools at the middle school and high school.

With the hiring by the school board now a done deal, Barton Coe Vilamaa will be focusing its next efforts on the corporation’s newest undertaking, a $65 million referendum project approved by district voters in May that will have a positive impact on countless local students. The new endeavor includes the new construction of an intermediate school for grades 5 and 6, conversion of the current middle school to serve grades 7 and 8, plus a number of upgrades at the high school.

“We were very pleased with their work during that (last) project. And as an addition, they’ve been our district architect of record for smaller projects in the intervening years, such as assisting with the specifications for the GHS football bleachers and the Chandler wall,” GCS Superintendent Diane Woodworth told the Goshen News of the corporation’s history with the firm. “So since Barton Coe Vilamaa has been a very trustworthy partner for the district, we would like to recommend that you approve them as the architect for the upcoming construction project that includes building a new intermediate school and an addition to GHS.”

The proposed project will reportedly include four primary sections: a new intermediate school; additions and renovations to Goshen High School (GHS); renovations to Goshen Middle School (GMS); and contingency funds.

As outlined in the proposal submitted by the firm, the new building, serving grades 5 and 6, will be approximately 190,000 square feet in size, including some portions having two stories. Referring to the planned addition and renovations to GHS, the proposal noted that this portion of the project includes newly constructed additions to, as well as renovations of existing interior space at, the high school.

“The new additions are anticipated to include potentially 30,000 square feet of new building area, potentially on three stories,” the proposal stated. “The renovations are anticipated to affect potentially 20,000 square feet of existing floor space and other related infrastructure improvements in various locations through the building.”

According to the proposal, the GMS renovation project consists of renovations of existing interior space at the middle school involving approximately 20,000 square feet of existing floor space and other related infrastructure upgrades in numerous locations throughout the building.