Category: Education News

New Beginnings as School Year Kicks Off!

Posted on September 18, 2023

An excerpt from our Q3 Newsletter

Diane Woodworth, Business Development Education Specialist

Welcome to the fall edition of the Weigand Newsletter! As a retired educator and school superintendent, I love this season. While working in K-12, I always enjoyed the new beginnings and fresh starts that each autumn brought as a new school year commenced.

Now that I’ve retired from education, it still brings me joy seeing the yellow buses out and about, and the many students on playgrounds and practice fields as I drive by their schools.

These days, I thoroughly enjoy new cycles vicariously through observing these little moments. Here at Weigand, we hope you are also enjoying the fall season and that you have your own reasons to love the page turn it offers us as the air turns crisp and the leaves change color.

With so many changes happening in education across the country, it has left many people wondering what the year ahead has in store for students, teachers, and administrators alike. I’ll be discussing topics like this and more in my new series, the K-12 Corner, premiering in this edition of our newsletter!

Thanks for stopping by, we’ll see you later this year with more news and project updates!

Diane Woodworth

Business Development Education Specialist

Fine Arts Facility Tops Out at Canterbury

Posted on September 18, 2023

Touch Down

This August, we marked a momentous occasion and celebrated the completion of the steel framing at the new Canterbury Fine Arts Center. With an audience that included donors, architects, students, faculty, and staff, our crew carefully secured the final steel beam, a symbolic touch that signifies the culmination of this important phase.

Fostering Artistic Passion

Once finished, this 18,000 square-foot facility will provide students with a dedicated space to cultivate their artistic talents. From visual design to musical performance, acting in theatre to creating stunning artwork, or even recording audio, this center is meticulously crafted to offer learners an environment that will elevate their educational experience and empower them to pursue their dreams.

The Fine Arts Center will feature:

A Gallery
2D Art Studio
3D Art Studio
Blackbox Theatre
Theatre Dressing Rooms
Music Classroom
Choral Room
Practice Rooms
Recording and Podcasting Studios
Media Lab
And More!

The wide range of artistic disciplines supported in the new building guarantee opportunities for students across a broad swathe of interests and focuses. For David Jackson, Head of School at Canterbury, the intent behind this project was to ensure that education in the arts wasn’t an after-school activity, but rather “a core part of the academic experience…This facility will ensure generationally that Canterbury students, and students from the Fort Wayne area will have access to an incredible arts education.” Jackson recognized the generous donations by the Surack and James families. Their philanthropy funded this $10.5M project, making a way for this dream to become a reality.

The Next Step

From here, our team will embark on the next steps, which involve enclosing the facility. We are eagerly looking forward to the day when students can step into this new home of the school’s Academy of Arts and embark on an exciting journey of creativity and discovery!

Students and faculty watching the ceremony

Worker tightening the final beam in place in the frame

Workers removing the cables from the beam

Field of Dreams Made Real

Posted on June 19, 2023

The Tradition Continues

Students, athletes, parents, teachers, and school administrators gathered at Northwood Highschool to cut the ribbon to the new Baseball and Softball Complex! With four beautiful diamonds spanning the edges of the grounds, Northwood’s baseball and softball players continue the school’s legacy in both sports at its own state-of-the-art facility.

A Breath of Fresh Air

The complex is a timely update from Northwood’s older field. Coming in at just over 50 years, the original baseball facility could no longer meet the growing needs of the school’s athletics program. The replacement brings several features that enhance the experience for both players and spectators alike. The new ballpark has four diamonds, two dedicated to baseball and two to softball for junior varsity and varsity level games. Along with seating sections for each diamond, the fields feature dugouts, press boxes, ticket-booths, warm-up areas, and backstops. In the center of the complex is a concession stand and restrooms.

The turf fields allow for easier maintenance, making the upkeep of the entire facility more sustainable. Not only that, but the complex brings softball onto the Northwoods Highschool grounds. Until now, the softball team had to utilize an off-campus field for all their games. This project also includes new access points, which make it easier for students and their families to get in and out of the complex by road or on foot.

How It was Made

Built through the CMc method (Construction Manager as Constructor) by our South Bend team, project management got involved early in the planning process. This created space to identify potential issues before they surfaced. It also allowed our team to offer input with the design and budget to help improve build quality, pricing, and construction timeline.

“We worked with the architect and the school to put budgets to their design and help work through value engineering within the confines of the budget that they knew they had allocated for the full project.” – Aaron Holy, Director of Operations, Weigand South Bend

A Dream Come True

Getting this “Field of Dreams” has been a huge milestone for both the administration and the athletics department at Wa-Nee. Through the generous donation of a previous player, the school system funded this project.

“It’s going to be a great opportunity for our kids to have a beautiful sports complex [with] Baseball, Softball, JV, and Varsity all in one location…A great, great benefit to our kids and to our athletic teams…just very excited for the future.”
Dr. Scot Croner, Wa-Nee Community Schools

Concord Unveils New Trades Building

Posted on December 14, 2022

Larger Learning Environment

Planned in lieu of the rising influx of students enrolling in trade programs, Concord Community School’s employed Weigand’s Construction Management services to build a brand-new trade school facility. This $3.9 million, 10,400 square foot education center houses more students, more resources, and more space for each trade discipline offering.

The Structure

The complex features various spaces designed to support classes such as:

Civil Engineering
Architectural Engineering
Manufacturing
Robotics
Design and Innovation
Construction Trades

These subjects are enhanced through learning areas equipped with the latest technology and training instruments so that students can get a hands-on education with real-world applications.

For the Future

“We are proud to support this investment that will have a direct impact on our students and their ability to increase their industry-ready skills while still in high school…In conversations with local industry leaders, it is clear that having this facility in place to support student learning will set them on a path to success in whatever career path they choose.” – Dan Funston, Superintendent, Concord Community Schools

With the mounting need for people well-versed in trades of all types across the nation, the Engineering and Construction Center will not only benefit the individual careers of students that pass through its halls but will also create value for all kinds of industries that require the skill and expertise of well-educated workers. This will have a lasting impact on learners’ careers, the community, and the economy as a whole.

Concord Engineering and Construction Center

From K-12 to Construction: Dr. Diane Woodworth’s Story

Posted on September 30, 2022

An Excerpt from our Q3 Newsletter

My name is Diane Woodworth, and I serve as the Business Development Education Specialist at Weigand Construction. During my K-12 career, I was a high school mathematics teacher, school counselor, and principal. I also served in various roles in district offices, retiring as the superintendent of Goshen Community Schools. I enjoyed each of the roles I had in public education, as I believe good education can truly change the trajectory of young lives!

During my career, I oversaw over $100M in projects utilizing a wide variety of delivery methods. At Goshen, a referendum was passed to build a new intermediate school as well as an addition to our high school. We utilized the delivery method known as CMc (Construction Manager as Constructor) to build these projects and chose Weigand Construction as our construction manager. I became a big fan of both CMc and Weigand during that final construction project before my retirement. It was the most transparent, efficient, and pain-free of all the projects I have ever been involved in.

Every Weigand employee I met demonstrated high levels of honesty and responsibility. I was not surprised at all when I began working for Weigand to find that our company values integrity tremendously. I have greatly enjoyed being part of a team that continues to “Build landmarks that impact the lives and communities we serve.”

Dr. Diane Woodworth
Business Development Education Specialist

Levan-Scott Academy Project Breaks Ground

Posted on September 15, 2022

“A significant impact to the educational programming here in southeast Fort Wayne…we think it’s well overdue…we’re serving our students in our community”
Dr. Mark Daniel (FWCS Superintendent)

New Beginnings

Earlier this month, we officially broke ground at Levan Scott Academy. With Weigand serving as the construction manager as constructor, this moment marked the beginning of a 43,456 square foot renovation and expansion!

Once the project is done, the school will have:

State-of-the-art heating and cooling systems
Updates to the vents and airways
Specialized, energy-efficient lighting
Nineteen new classrooms
A media center
A cafeteria
Supplementary spaces

A Much-Needed Addition

The final product will be a building that gives space to house more students, and provides extra rooms dedicated to their development. A few of these future rooms have unique learning experiences with art and music designed in the layout! Parents were also considered during the planning phase. As a result, more parking spots and a pick-up lane will be added to help with traffic.

A Leader’s Legacy

The Academy is named after Dr. Levan R. Scott, who was Fort Wayne’s first Black Principle in 1965. He faithfully worked with Fort Wayne Community Schools for 28 years. He advocated for civil rights and equality for students and staff during his time of service. For this reason, FWCS continues to honor the memory of his legacy through the school.

Better Service to a Growing Community

“This addition allows Scott Academy to better serve the community, which is the fastest growing area in Fort Wayne Community Schools,” said FWCS Superintendent, Dr. Mark Daniel, while speaking at the groundbreaking. With this in mind, we can’t wait to finish this new and improved Levan-Scott Academy to benefit southeast Fort Wayne!

Now Open – The Amp Lab @ Electric Works!

Posted on August 22, 2022

“We’re not just preparing students for jobs; we’re preparing them for careers that haven’t even been developed yet.”
Riley Johnson (Amp Lab Director)

A New Kind of Education

Think-tanks, group projects, and cooperation are in the works at the new FWCS Amp Lab! Built as part of the Electric Works expansion/renovation project, Weigand operated as the construction manager, making sure that every section went up as planned and on time. The Amp Lab is a special school program that is available for up to four hundred juniors and seniors that attend any of the five FWCS high schools.

With the goal to prepare students for an ever-changing workplace, it functions as a space where students can focus their passion and creativity. By tapping into what inspires them, these members of the future working world can grow as a team. Since collaboration is a central value of the Amp Lab, the construction design is geared towards wide, open concept learning suites. Therefore, students have the room to develop and contribute together.

State-of-the-Art Learning Environment

The Lab features all kinds of collective spaces where students can work, study, and create with one another:

Indoor greenhouse
Media production lab
Wood/Fabrication shop
Music production studio
Collaborative halls
Conference rooms
Classrooms

Get a tour of the Amp Lab below in our Electric Works Construction Update!

(Amp Lab featured at 0:41)

We’re so excited to partner with FWCS on this venture as they invest in a brighter future for their students!

cody

Weigand Construction Awarded Concord Community Schools 2021 Bond Projects

Posted on November 1, 2020

Weigand Construction is proud to announce that we’ve been selected for the Concord Community Schools 2021 Bond Projects in Elkhart, Indiana. This project will include numerous safety renovations, roofing repairs and interior upgrades to different schools throughout the district. Schools included in this project are Concord High School, Concord Intermediate School, East Side Elementary School, Ox Bow Elementary School, and West Side Elementary School. Preconstruction for these projects will start immediately, and the full scope of work should be completed by Summer 2022.

Project Spotlight: Hillsdale College Christ Chapel

Posted on November 17, 2019

As the first new religious chapel of this magnitude in over 70 years in the United States, the construction of Christ Chapel on Hillsdale College’s campus has been a truly unique opportunity. The official dedication ceremony for the Chapel took place on October 3, with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas remarking, “[College students] need a place where they can go to be relieved of their troubles and get their bearing as so much comes at them so fast. By building this chapel, Hillsdale College has provided that space where students can come to discern God’s calling, to pray through difficult times and to praise God for his faithfulness.”

The dedication of Christ Chapel was part of Hillsdale College’s 175th anniversary celebration. Located in the heart of the campus, between the Grewcock Student Union and Dow Leadership Center, the 27,500 square foot building is a new focal point on campus. The interior of the Chapel pays homage to the classic English church, St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The Chapel’s 64-foot painted barrel ceilings, fourteen columns, wooden pews, and arched windows give it a timeless grandeur and beauty.

With seating for 1,350 and ample room for large performance ensembles, the Chapel will provide Hillsdale with a much-needed venue for college ceremonies and concerts, as well as religious services. Weigand Construction is proud to have been the Construction Manager of such a monumental project, the seventh that has been completed throughout the relationship with Hillsdale College.

Education Projects: The Foundation of Our Communities

Posted on November 16, 2019

An Excerpt from our Q4 Newsletter

Goshen Intermediate School Groundbreaking Ceremony

LARRY WEIGAND, CEO – Our Weigand Why is “We build landmarks that impact the lives and communities we serve.” Many of these landmarks are educational projects, and the impact these upgraded facilities have on our community are paramount for our younger generations. We are fortunate to be very active in building Kindergarten through High School (K-12) and College and University (upper educational) projects throughout Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. In 1982, one of my first jobs at Weigand Construction was an upper education project – working the business end of the broom as part of the “continuous clean” crew at Huntington University. Since then, we have built landmark projects and long standing relationships with many incredible upper education clients such as:

Purdue University (West Lafayette & Fort Wayne Campuses), Indiana Wesleyan University, Indiana University, Grace College, University of Notre Dame, Ball State University, Hillsdale College, Saint Mary’s College, and Andrews University, among others in our region.

As far as K-12 projects, we’ve recently worked with Fort Wayne Community Schools, Southwest Allen County Schools, Northwest Allen County Schools, East Allen County Schools, Adams Central Community Schools, Warsaw Community Schools and Goshen Community Schools… just to name a few.

At Weigand, we are understandably proud that our involvement with educational projects throughout the region is both a result of the longstanding relationships we’ve formed in our communities and our ability to continually exceed client expectations on each and every project. We are excited that Indiana has adopted IC-5-32 which allows public education projects to be contractually delivered with the Construction Manager at Risk method. Weigand Construction Co., Inc has been delivering projects under this contract delivery method for over twenty years for our private clients, so needless to say we have quite a successful track record. To think we have played a small part in helping educate our children and young adults by improving their learning environments with our construction services is really inspiring for our team. I wish all of our friends and co-workers health and happiness as we wrap up 2019!