Hamilton School District Athletic Training Facility

When the Hamilton School District first asked us to help with their athletic facility renovation it was a $2.2 million project. When it morphed into a $4.8 million remodel and addition we knew we would need every bit of our project management expertise to complete it between April and October.

In addition to the construction work itself, a great deal of planning was needed to avoid any inconvenience to students, parents and staff during construction. Along with the site itself, large portions of the campus would have to be managed — particularly an access road which would need to be rerouted to accommodate the addition.

The remodel would further need the replacement of 60 yards of turf for the facility’s indoor field, the sourcing and purchasing of which would be up to us.

Years of experience in school construction projects has taught us that planning is very important when timelines are tight. A transportation plan would be needed for a temporary road that included student drop-off and pick-up points — all safely away from the construction site.

Regarding turf, we were able to take advantage of existing relationships with contractors on past turf replacement projects. We acted on the district’s behalf to secure the best possible pricing. To minimize cost, a mass RFP — one that bulked multiple field projects together — was issued.

For the construction itself, we attended multiple planning and design meetings. We also met with several different athletic facility metal fabricators in order to ensure we would receive the right parts on the site at the right time. To jump start construction in April we brought in mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEPs) contractors early.

When construction began in April, our team was fully coordinated and ready to go. Every stakeholder had a clear action plan and full understanding of their responsibilities for completing the project on time.

As designed, the extensive pre-planning prevented disruptions during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up — both for buses and parents when school was in session.

Lastly, our purchasing efforts saved the district a full 10% off the turf cost.