COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Buckeye State’s own Pepper Construction will be realizing the renovation plans for the vaunted Goss Laboratory at the Ohio State University, located in the state’s capital city.

Pepper is serving as construction manager for the upgrade at Goss Laboratory, where it is fashioning new lab space and offices for the science center. According to a release from Pepper, the contractor’s work also entails redoing the HVAC system, repainting, updating floors and ceilings, as well as installing a machine for the sterilization of various lab instruments.

“We are honored to serve such a prominent organization dedicated to cancer research and are excited to play a part in providing a newly renovated laboratory for the talented Ohio State research professionals and students,” Paul Francois, President of Pepper Construction Company of Ohio, said in a statement from the builder.

Pepper Construction’s partners on the redesign include designer Davis Wince and engineering firm HAWA. The total amount of lab space being renovated is 7,500 square feet.

Pepper was named ENR’s 2019 Top Midwest Contractor. In addition to educational construction, their projects entail work in the hospitality, commercial and healthcare sectors.

The post Pepper Construction Renovates Historic Ohio State Laboratory appeared first on School Construction News.

OAK PARK, Ill.—School board members for Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park recently approved $4.5 million worth of capital improvement projects, which will take place this summer.

According to an article by the Chicago Tribune, at its meeting in mid-December, the OPRF board unanimously approved funding of $4,583,062 to Pepper Construction, which will disburse the money among the lowest qualified bidders for six separate bid packages. These summer 2020 projects are independent of the larger Project 1 campus renovation, which will also begin this year.

In total, the school received 32 bidders for the six summer construction packages, with bids being opened in mid-November. According to a district memo, substantial completion of the projects is slated for early August.

“We are over budget on what was budgeted [last] February,” said Chief Operations Officer Mike Carioscio. “The over budget is because of the roof [portion of the project].”

The work includes electrical panel and feeder replacement, testing of 12kV electrical switchgear, a VoIP phone system, auditorium lighting control replacement, transformer vault repairs, roofing replacement, masonry repairs and ceiling and lighting work in the 1 West Gym.

In a statement, Board Member Tom Cofsky said he would like to see a list of previous capital improvement projects, as well as projects that may be upcoming, which he feels will better guide future decisions.

“In the information provided, there was a little bit of a historical look back. Last year, we were $900,000 underspent on our capital, if I recall. As we talk about this work, there’s things that just keep coming up. It would be helpful as we do that to put them in perspective, a big picture perspective. Essentially, this work is about trying to take a 100-year-old building and make it modern. Having the perspective of where we are on that would be a helpful thing.”

Fellow board member Ralph Martire agreed and said a rolling 10-year plan would allow the board to budget more carefully and prioritize future projects.

The post $4.5 Million Approved for Illinois School Projects appeared first on School Construction News.