Sundt has overcome an unusual challenge to complete the first phase of an important school construction project in California. In this case, it’s the Banta Elementary and Middle School, a $19 million project for the River Islands at Lathrop master-planned community. And the challenge is this: the housing development that will supply the students to Banta isn’t built yet, meaning that until very recently there were no utilities to the site.
“The utilities were originally scheduled to be to the site by mid-October of last year, but for several reasons that didn’t happen, so there was no water, power, gas or telephone throughout most of construction,” said Sundt Project Manager Marie Crist. “We received power in March and gas in April, but we’re still awaiting potable water and telephone/data lines.”
Not having utilities meant that the team had to re-sequence some of the construction activities for the six buildings that constitute the project’s initial phase – and have them completed in time for the first 600 students to arrive on campus this fall. It’s Sundt’s ability to adapt and problem-solve like this that sets us apart from our competitors, says Crist.
“It’s not always obvious to owners how various components of a project will impact the overall construction schedule. We helped them get through the issues that arose by working around the delays, and they’re quite happy with Sundt.”
Banta will ultimately accommodate up to 1,500 students when it is complete in July 2013, allowing the 132-year-old Banta Elementary School District to triple its current student population.