Two O'Fallon School Districts Holding Joint Dedications and Open Houses for New Schools
O’FALLON, ILL. - Holland Construction Services Inc. has completed two new schools in O’Fallon, set to open this fall. O’Fallon Township High School District #203 and O’Fallon Community Consolidated School District #90 will both be kicking off the school year with dedication ceremonies and open houses beginning at noon on Sunday, Aug. 2.
Boasting a new and innovative environment for freshmen in O’Fallon Township High School District #203, the new campus at 650 Milburn School Road, with construction managed by Holland Construction Services and designed by Wm. B. Ittner Inc., encompasses classroom wings, a library, cafeteria and administrative office space, with an attached tilt-up concrete gymnasium.
The $31 million, 142,000-square-foot Milburn Freshmen Campus will alleviate overcrowding as the O’Fallon community continues to grow. Beginning as a “freshmen only” setting, the building is designed to accommodate future expansion for a freshmen and sophomore - or even a freshmen through senior campus.
“This project went unusually well,” said Dr. Darcy Benway, OTHS District #203 superintendent. “The Holland, Ittner, District 203 team worked great together. We had dedicated contractors and sub contractors on the job. Despite the project start being initially delayed by poor weather, it was completed on time and within budget.”
Holland also teamed with Wm. B. Ittner Inc. to increase and improve facilities for OTHS District #203 in the form of a new $6.5 million high school auditorium, encompassing 20,000 square feet, with seating capacity for 740, providing a huge space for the school, as well as availability for use by the entire community. In addition, Holland and Ittner worked together on OTHS’s Smiley Campus addition resulting in seven classrooms, two chemistry labs and 1,000 square feet of administrative offices that opened in January 2008.
Benway said that maintaining a quality learning environment is a priority for the district, and the addition provided immediate relief to space demands at the high school.
“I can’t say enough positive things about the Holland team,” Benway said. “They were professional, hard-working, dedicated individuals who took the time to understand the needs of our district.”
She said OTHS has been educating its students in a crowded environment for the last several years, and this facility will provide the district with an opportunity to implement learning initiatives targeted at freshmen, while improving the learning environment for all of its students. In addition, the new auditorium will provide a great venue for public speakers, community meetings and fine arts performances of all kinds.
Holland Construction Services also recently completed the $26 million, 131,000-square-foot O’Fallon Community Consolidated School District #90 Amelia V. Carriel Junior High School at 451 N. Seven Hills Road, set to provide a contemporary learning environment when it too opens this fall. The school was designed by FGM Architects Engineers, Inc., and will also alleviate overcrowding in the growing O’Fallon community. Built for sixth, seventh and eighth graders in District #90, it will include teaching centers, a library/media center and performance stage. Playing fields and a running track will offer space for physical recreation, and the 42-acre site allows for future growth.
O’Fallon District #90 Superintendent Nancy Gibson said, “The entire project went very well. We’ve been very pleased with the Holland team.
“We could all see the project management service that Holland provided was a necessity on an important project like this,” Gibson said.
She said the district’s junior high school was at capacity, and the new school and the existing one will each house about 650 students, allowing space to accommodate around 900 at each location to support expected future growth.
“We started this project around the idea of educating the whole child, and we are seeing it come to fruition,” Gibson said.
The school was named after Amelia V. Carriel, a beloved teacher who taught in District #90 for 51 years, beginning in 1874.
Sunday’s events will begin with a noon to 1 p.m. open house at Amelia Carriel Junior High School, followed by a dedication ceremony from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Allowing travel time between the two schools (transportation provided), the dedication ceremony at the Milburn Campus begins at 2:15 p.m., followed by a 3 to 4 p.m. open house. O’Fallon Mayor Gary Graham and several other elected state and local officials will be in attendance.
Ittner is a leading design firm with offices in Fairview Heights and St. Louis. It is recognized nationally for innovations in school planning and design, and is a leader in many areas, including architectural and interior design, strategic planning, furniture procurement and health life safety.
Ittner is recognized for designing the first kindergarten in the country, developing design that has created today’s modern schoolhouse. In recent years, the firm designed the Wildwood Campus for St. Louis Community College; the largest LEED “gold” certified college campus in the Midwest.
FGM is a professional service firm practicing architecture, interior design and landscape architecture. Projects include education projects from elementary schools through high schools, colleges and universities; public administration facilities and spaces for private sector corporations, as well as police and fire stations, recreation centers and gymnasiums, among others.
FGM has been honored with the Illinois Chapter of the American Institute of Architect’s Distinguished Firm Award. The firm maintains offices in Oak Brook, O’Fallon, and Peoria, Ill.
Holland Construction Services, Inc. is a full-service contracting and construction management firm based in Swansea, Ill., guided by the principle of delivering total customer satisfaction. Now in its 23rd year, the company has been providing quality construction throughout Missouri and Illinois since 1986, when it was founded by Bruce Holland.
HCS offers design/build, general contracting and construction management services to commercial, retail, healthcare, senior living, light industrial, recreational/athletic and educational clients. The firm is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and provides guidance in certification in Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED). In 2006, The St. Louis Business Journal ranked Holland Construction as one of the top 15 contractors in the St. Louis area.
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