“Associated Builders and Contractors is honored to recognize Adolfson & Peterson Construction…for their commitment to high quality construction, innovation and safety in their work on Lake County High School,” said 2016 ABC National Chair David Chapin, president of Willmar Electric Service, Lincoln, Neb., in a statement. “AP’s performance is a great example of the impressive work Associated Builders and Contractors’ member companies produce and we are happy to claim this project for the merit shop construction industry.”

The renovations and addition to the existing Lake County High School resulted in a high performing, 21st-century learning environment that also reflects Leadville’s natural environment and history, according to a statement by AP. The entire school is now outfitted with new technology, security camera system, 65-inch LCD screens in each classroom and new furnishings.

The school remained open throughout the construction process, which included three separate additions that nearly doubled its size. A new 50,00-square-foot high school classroom addition — a double-stacked wing — includes up-to-date science labs and wireless connection throughout, making every area a learning environment. Two small additions to an administrative area and around a stairway completed the 114,000 total square footage of the new school. The building achieved LEED Gold certification in 2015.

Located at an elevation of more than 10,000 feet, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States. With an average of 278 days per year with freezing temperatures, the project required extensive planning to account for harsh seasonal conditions. Working on a fully occupied campus located across from the community’s hospital also required coordinating steel erection with emergency helicopter flights.

The Excellence in Construction Awards program was developed to honor innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects. The award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. The winning projects, selected from entries submitted from across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety and cost.
 

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School Principal Michelle Patterson kicked off the Jan. 7 grand opening ceremony with a welcome to the students and community members who gathered to mark the event. “Today, we continue all of the greatness, all of the respect, and all of the responsibility that the Otis Bulldogs are known for,” Patterson said. “Today, we smile with pride and accomplishment for all the Otis community has delivered in its commitment to Otis Schools and to its students. Today, we celebrate all that our school has been and all that it will become.”

Funded primarily through the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program, as well as through a partial district match, the new $19 million facility replaces and consolidates the previously separate elementary, junior and high school buildings into a streamlined, sustainable and state-of-the-art learning environment. Due to the community’s small size and student population, the design allows all levels to share important resources, such as computer labs, art classrooms and special education spaces. However, each level is also divided into separate 8-classroom wings with flexible learning areas.

Thanks to green features such as a geothermal system, extensive daylighting and the use of both local and recycled building materials, the project is pursuing LEED Gold certification. President of the Otis School Board of Directors Paul Davis called the new facility “the most technologically advanced school in northeast Colorado.”

The previous Otis High School was built in 1922, while the existing elementary was completed in 1985. Over the years the district also added several supportive buildings and spaces, including a gymnasium, agricultural shop, library and locker rooms. The most recent addition to the community’s educational infrastructure was completed in 2009. That project added 2,500 square feet to the existing elementary school to create space for the preschool program, which up to that point had been contained to mobile units adjacent to the main building. That recent addition was also retained in the new design.

The new facility was designed by the Denver office of Wold Architects and Engineers and was built by Adolfson & Peterson Construction (A&P) with offices in Aurora, Colo. JVA Incorporated of Boulder, Colo. was the project’s civil engineer, while BKBM Engineers of Minneapolis provided structural engineering expertise. ME Group of Denver served as the electrical engineer on the project and Lafayette, Colo.-based Design Concepts managed the project’s landscape design.

Preconstruction on the phased project began in May 2013 and the A&P team hosted a topping out ceremony in April 2014. Construction wrapped up right on schedule in late 2014, despite 30 weather delay days.

Tom Stone, a project executive for A&P, commented at the grand opening on how the project was “all about family, community and making good on your promises.” “We are proud to show our commitment to the Otis community and are happy for their new place to call home,” Stone added.

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