SoCal High School Starts Build on New Event Center
By Eric Althoff
HESPERIA, Calif.—General contractor Erickson-Hall Construction Co., along with designer DLR Group, has commenced work on the new Hesperia High School Event Center. The project for the Hesperia Unified School District involves crafting a ground-up 35,000-square-foot facility that will have space to host athletic competitions as well as other events. The district serves the High Desert community of Hesperia, encompassing children from some 140 square miles.
Inside the new Event Center will be a modern stage and 500 spectator seats. In addition to the public gathering space itself, the Event Center will also have classrooms, multi-use spaces and other facilities that will be useful to both the school and the surrounding community. On the outside, Erickson-Hall’s work encompasses re-landscaping the surrounding turf, relocating the school’s existing tennis courts and various other external site work.
The Event Center project is also aimed at equity, with the Hesperia Unified School District aiming to increase opportunities for students who might not have access to them otherwise. Accordingly, the district is making strides toward reaching out to students with disabilities, those who are still learning English, as well as students from low-income homes. Another key element of the district improvement plan is to ensure that mental-health services are part of the high school’s improvement.
Hesperia Unified School District Superintendent David Olney spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony of the collaboration the district enjoys with Erickson-Hall. Olney described the Event Center project as “transformative” for the entire student community.
“The Hesperia High School Event Center will be a cornerstone for academic and community growth, offering a dynamic space that fosters creativity, learning and engagement for both students and the wider community.”
“The Event Center is unique because it introduces a whole different avenue of opportunity for not just the students but also the community,” added president of Erickson-Hall Mat Gates. “The flex area is a prime example of this because it is a multi-functional space for the community to enjoy.
In a subsequent statement emailed to School Construction News about the construction progress, Erickson-Hall Construction Project Executive David Irwin said the contractor has already achieved two significant milestones by demolishing the old tennis courts as well as prepping the replacement courts, which Irwin said will be ready for the upcoming season.
“After this rainy season, we look forward to getting the masonry and structural steel operations started,” Irwin said of the contractor’s work beyond the courts.
Erickson-Hall has successfully delivered $1.5 billion worth of both college and K-12 construction work. The firm offers such services as construction management, preconstruction, design-build and lease-lendback. A Southern California mainstay since 1998, Erickson-Hall operates from offices in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and Imperial Counties.
“We are proud to deliver a facility that not only meets but exceeds the expectations of Hesperia Unified School District and the Hesperia community,” said Gates.