CASE STUDY: Pewaukee School District

To accommodate accelerated growth and alleviate capacity pressures, while remaining committed to its unified campus setting, the District invested in improvements at all four District schools. CG Schmidt completed 5 additions on campus and renovated nearly every area of each school. Pewaukee Lake Elementary received extensive renovations to its secure entry, educational spaces, and art and music areas, as well as a classroom addition. A gymnasium was added to Horizon Elementary. Major additions and renovations were completed at Asa Clark Middle School and Pewaukee High School, including additional classrooms, cafeteria and library expansions, secure entries, and a state-of-the-art engineering, music and art wing.

Communication is Key

Due to the fact that all District schools are located on one campus with one traffic loop connecting them, significant coordination and communication was required throughout construction. To maintain our high safety standards, three hours per day were off limits due to student drop-off and pick-up times; therefore, preplanning was key to moving construction vehicles, closing traffic lanes for large equipment, or any changes to traffic patterns. CG Schmidt communicated through diagrams, flyers, District emails, and videos to ensure clear messaging.

Robo-Demo

The project team utilized a demolition robot to execute various areas of demolition. The demolition robot can handle thick concrete slabs and/or metal safer and faster than our crews. At Pewaukee High School, the demolition robot took out the main stairwell in a couple of hours.

Student and District Engagement

Throughout the project, our team was heavily involved with the District and their students. Our Project Engineer led a class demonstrations on field surveying both on the jobsite as well as in the classroom. Our team members also served as judges for the District’s Gazebo Design Contest. The groups presented gazebo designs, and the judges picked the best design and provided guidance on building issues. The gazebo has now been built in the courtyard of Pewaukee Lake Elementary, with CG Schmidt crews donating the materials and time for the foundation work.  CG Schmidt also engaged students with construction site tours, job shadowing, Read Across America participation, and a floor signing ceremony at Horizon Elementary School before the wood floor was installed.

The 4K classrooms are a one-of-a-kind story within themselves. CG Schmidt helped bring the design to reality of 6 themed classrooms including farm-to-table, science, ocean, fairytale, construction office/trailer and outer space. Our project managers built pieces in their garages in their free time, our carpenters donated their time on the weekends, and the rooms came together exactly as the District envisioned.

Last, as Covid abruptly ended the year for the graduating seniors, our project team came up with the idea to give them each a keepsake from their High School building. We cleaned up the bricks taken from the High School during demolition and attached a plaque for each graduating Senior. Our crew gave them out in the District’s graduation parade; the students really enjoyed their ‘piece’ of Pewaukee High School!

Pewaukee High School

ASA Clark Middle School

Horizon Elementary School

Pewaukee Lake Elementary School

Planning your own K12 education project? Contact our construction professionals today.