Brunswick County Schools
Town Creek Elementary and Middle School
McGill was the site / civil engineer for the design team that was selected to help expand Town Creek Elementary School by six classrooms and construct a new, 85,000-square-foot middle school on the same property. Brunswick County Schools undertook this project as part of a $125 million bond effort to improve and enhance the educational experiences and outcomes for its students. Under the lead of architectural firm, KSQ, and Brunswick County Schools’ personnel, McGill’s Shallotte staff successfully completed the project in time for the fall 2020 school year.
The Challenge
Brunswick County is the second-fastest-growing county in North Carolina and the 38th-fastest-growing county in the nation. These bond projects meet the needs identified in the 2012 Facility Master Plan Study, which reflects the views of stakeholders throughout the community. McGill endeavored to complete this project on schedule and within budget to quickly address the needs of the community and reduce crowding in its schools. Timing was extremely important to allow students to enter the new school for the fall of 2020. Stormwater management planning and permitting was a primary challenge, given the overall facility design schedule, as this project was undertaken using a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery method. A critical deadline for permitting was necessary to begin construction and it was known from the beginning that a tight schedule would be required. The stormwater design and permitting process was challenged further, as it necessitated the modification of an existing stormwater permit associated with the adjacent elementary school. Additional stormwater control measures for the elementary school were needed, along with provisions for the new middle school addition. Necessary facility modifications were taking place even as deadlines for permit submittals drew near, creating the need for multiple iterations of plans and calculations in short order to meet schedules.
The Solution
McGill recognized the challenge in addressing stormwater management needs for this site early in conceptual design efforts. Our strong relationships with the owner and our key subconsultants allowed for more rapid responses in property access and data collection necessary to effectively evaluate and implement the best design approach. We communicated with the project design leads daily to ensure a sense of urgency in completing final facility layouts to support the hard deadlines for permitting, while continuing to make them aware of potential design and construction cost impacts, as they considered variations as part of the CMAR methodology. For this project, McGill provided site development and landscape plans, developed sedimentation and erosion control plans, prepared utility plans, and addressed overall grading and stormwater management for the combined middle school and existing elementary school properties. To facilitate bidding and award of the project, our team provided technical specifications and construction details for use in the contract documents and supplied bidding phase assistance and construction phase services sufficient for final engineering certification of water, sewer, and stormwater-related facilities.
The Results
The new, bright, and engaging classrooms at Town Creek Elementary were available for use at the start of the fall 2020 school year, as promised. In addition to the expansion, students will benefit from improved paving, landscape improvements, new playground equipment, and technology updates throughout the building. The completed Town Creek Middle School project reduced overcrowding at Leland Middle School, resulted in technological improvements, and laid the groundwork for future improvements to the fine arts and athletic programs.
McGill provided excellent site / civil work for the new Town Creek Middle School. The school has been open and operating now for almost a year and the grounds and stormwater infrastructure has had no issues or problems.
As I reflect on this design process McGill was able to handle changes and challenges, some of which could have derailed the completion schedule, in a timely manner.
The landscaping and pavement management at the school is very attractive and easy to maintain. Overall, another great job of engineering work by McGill. Thank you for your continued partnership.
The construction schedule was critical to the client. McGill was able to stay on schedule and budget. As construction was underway, Brunswick County Schools shared aerial images of the process. View the construction photos of Brunswick County School Bond projects on its website.
Integrity
Partnership
Problem-Solving