The College Community School District held a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, June 1 to mark the official start of construction for a new 5/6 building on 80 acres directly south of Prairie Point. The ceremonial groundbreaking took place on the construction site.
Current second and third grade students who will be incoming 5th and 6th graders when the building opens in the fall of 2023 participated in the official groundbreaking. School Board members, district staff, Carl A. Nelson & Company, OPN Architects and members of the facilities advisory committee also took part in the official groundbreaking.
Groundbreaking Program:
Randy Bauer – School Board President
Dr. Doug Wheeler – Superintendent of Schools
Roger Worm – Partner, OPN Architects
Jen McDonnell – Principal, Prairie Creek Intermediate School
Chris Smith – VP/Project Executive Carl A. Nelson and Company
Official Groundbreaking Ceremony
Voters in the College Community School district overwhelmingly approved a $54 bond with more than 84% approval to construct a new 5/6 building and repurpose Creek (9th Grade Center and district wide programs). The passage of the bond allows the district to complete its 10-year facilities plan.
Since the March 3, 2020 passage of the bond, the programming and design phases began immediately with OPN Architects. As part of the building process, the district secured an agreement with Carl A. Nelson & Company, which is a construction management company.
Construction TimeLine:
March 19 – Completion of Construction Documents
April 20 – Conclusion of Bidding
May 2021 – Begin Construction
Fall 2023 – Scheduled to Open
“We are very excited to begin the official construction process,” said Superintendent Dr. Doug Wheeler. “The visioning and prioritization of this project reflects the needs of our students and priorities of our community. Our entire focus in the design process has always been about the needs of students both now and in the future. We are very thankful for the support from our school community.”
The College Community School District serves 5,800 students from Linn, Benton, and Johnson counties. The 137 square mile district includes the cities of Ely, Fairfax, Shueyville, Swisher, Walford and SW Cedar Rapids.
*Photo Credit: Prairie Senior Jaymeson Westphal
