Photo by Staff/R. Michael Semple This is a construction overview of the Warren City School District’s new wellness center, which is being built between the high school and the football stadium. More than half of the $36.1 million, 120,000 square foot facility has been completed.
WARREN – The Wellness Center is taking shape in the Warren City School District, as anyone passing by Warren G. Harding High School can see.
Construction began last summer for the new $36.1 million, 120,000-square-foot facility. The two-story building rises between the high school and the football field.
About 50 to 60 percent of the project is done, said John Lacey, director of operations for the Warren City School District — and about half of the project costs, or $18 million, have been spent.
He said that what people can see recently are steel joists that have gone up. Joists are open-mesh steel trusses used as the primary framing members of a floor or ceiling system.
A 120-tonne crane will be placed in the steel joists.
We hope that everything will be under the roof next winter. Locker rooms can be used this fall. Hopefully, esports and golf simulators will be installed this fall.” Lacey said.
Officials at Phillips Sekanick Architects said the treasury wing will open in August 2023 and the remainder of the building in early 2024.
Much of the exterior roof work will be done in the fall, Lacey said.
Good weather
Because of a mild winter, Lacey said, the project is on schedule with no weather conditions affecting the work.
“The mild winter helped great. I’m starting to see form being done,” she said. Lacey said.
At a Board of Education meeting Tuesday, the board approved bids on several contracts for the project totaling more than $7 million including roofing and flooring work. These are Metalcrafts at $470,288 for Assorted Metals; DCC at $1.679 million in public trading; TEMA Roofing at $2.396 million for roofing; Imperial Glazing Systems $1.645 million aluminum and glass business; Georges Bibiac, $306,890 painting; and LM Construction for $1.205 million for metal framing and drywall.
With approvals last week, there are a few bids left to work on the remainder of the project, Lacey said.
He said the officials have reviewed value engineering, which helps in lowering the prices of the various projects involved in the main project.
The district engaged DeSalvo Construction for at-risk construction management services, which had solicited, scheduled, and screened bids for bid packages and found the least responsible bidders.
Federal grant money is paying for the bulk of the project, but the district has also set aside money to cover the costs of the project.
The purpose of the center
The principal of schools, Steve Kyaro, said the facility could be used for many purposes by a wide variety of students. He said the center would not only be for athletics but for educational and healthcare purposes, which would increase the wellness opportunities for students.
The foundation stone was laid last July.
The first floor will include a 200-meter track with a multi-purpose surface inside. On the second floor there will be an additional walking path.
Along with a running track and walking track, a multi-gym exercise area, yoga and sensory rooms, study staircases, an e-sports facility, and a robotics lab will be included.
The facility will house the services of several healthcare providers with a focus on student and community wellness.
While work continues, Kyaro said, it will be possible to use some of the facilities in the fall before the rest are finished.