2016 Replacement Project - Part 1
9-7-17
Staff and the contractor have been able to get all major punchlist items along with most of the small ones completed during the summer. There will be a few small items that will be scheduled after school hours during September. Closeout documentation continues to make progress and we should be able to obtain the final Certificate of Occupancy in the next month or so. Mediation for a final Change Order is scheduled for October 9th and 10th.
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The project continues towards completion. Punch list work has been occurring outside of school hours since September and will continue into spring. Landscaping details around the building are wrapping up with a few items to complete over the next couple of months. The building is working very well for students and staff.
Aerial Photo from Dec. 28, 2016
Commons at lunch time.
Ping Pong games in the new gym.
Students watching video in the new library.
Islander Middle School dedication and open house set for Saturday, October 1, 2016
The community is invited to the dedication and open house for the new commons, gymnasium, library and classrooms at Islander Middle School from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, October 1 at the school, 8225 S.E. 72nd St.
“We are looking forward to showing our community the wonderful new facilities at the middle school,” said Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano. “We are grateful for the support our community gave to this project with their passage of the 2014 bond proposition.”
Construction at Islander Middle School provides expanded learning space to replace the 10 portable classrooms previously on site. It will also provide a new commons designed to accommodate a growing student population.
Integrus Architecture of Seattle designed the expansions to IMS. Kassel & Associates is the general contractor. Brandy Fox of CPM Seattle, Inc. managed the project for the district.
The new building is 93,000 square feet and the site includes a new commons and kitchen, library, main and auxiliary gymnasiums and locker rooms, and a new entrance and administrative offices for the school. There are eight new general-purpose classrooms, two science classrooms, two special education classrooms, two shared learning areas, three music classrooms and six practice rooms.
The project began construction in the spring of 2015 and opened on schedule for the first day of school August 31.
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July was a very busy month on site and August will be even busier. The music and commons building has been demolished and work on the underground utilities and supports for the low bridge structures are nearly complete. The fire lane around the building was completed except for the landscaping elements, which will come later in the fall. Irrigation and top soil was installed at the large parking lot off 84th Avenue SE.
The building exterior continues to take shape with metal wall panels, brick trim, and the solar panels on the roof of the commons. All window systems are in, doors have been hung, and hardware is installed.
Inside the building we continue with finishes and have started taking delivery of furniture in the classroom and administration areas. The main gym floor is down and bleachers have been installed. The floor for the auxiliary gym is about 30 percent placed and sanding, lines, and seal coats will follow.
August will see us wrap up the floor finishes, ceilings, kitchen equipment, lighting and building systems. The parking area off 84th Avenue SE will receive its final paving and striping in the latter part of August and will be ready for the first day of school. Plants have arrived and will begin going in over the next few weeks. Expect to hear bells and alarms later in the month as we test the fire alarm systems and work through inspections. It will be a big push to have the building and site ready for staff and students, but the contractor is making good progress and meeting the milestones. Everyone involved in the project is looking forward to seeing students come through the front door on August 31.
Aerial Photo from July 29, 2016
Bleachers installed in gym.
Classrooms ready for furniture.
Signage at main office.
North end of classroom wing.
7-18-16
We are in the final stretch of work at the Middle School. Good progress is being made inside the building and huge changes are in store for the month of July.
The main parking area off 84th Avenue SE was closed to traffic following the last day of school. Abatement activities were underway the following morning on the old commons and music room. This work continued through the weekend and by early the next week, utilities were disconnected and the building was ready for demolition. We have been building a good part of the new building behind this old facility and July will be an unveiling of sorts. Once the old building is removed, work will begin on the large courtyard and rain garden that will be centered between the old and new.
During June, windows were installed in the south wall of the commons, the metal roof was installed, the solar panel installation began, and we completed the final elevation of brick. Inside, we are hanging whiteboards and tack boards in the classrooms, installing cabinets, lights, and preparing for carpet and other flooring materials. The wood for the floor in the gymnasiums arrived and the bleachers are also on site.
Demolition underway on the old commons and music building.
Windows installed at the new Commons.
Gym ceiling painted.
Final elevation of brick at Auxiliary Gym.
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The parking area and loop drive off 84th Avenue SE will be closed from June 24 through late August. Due to demolition and construction, access to the track and fields must be via the south end during this time. Parking is available at the south end lot directly adjacent to the fields. Once the building is removed, there is significant site work to be completed to create the student plaza, a large rain garden, and the paths that will connect the old building with the new. Once the bulk of this heavy work is completed, the final work of asphalt, striping, and landscape will take place in the parking and loop drive area.
Please share this information with your sports teams, walking friends, trainers, friends and family. We realize this will affect many people and thank you in advance for your patience and support of our construction activities. For questions or concerns, please contact construction manager Brandy Fox at 206-949-4135.
IMS Parking Closure Information (pdf)
6-6-16
Kassel & Associates, the general contractor, is making good progress on the building. The existing commons and music rooms hide much of the progress from view but progress is occurring. Installation of the brick veneer on the lower portion of the building continued during May. Brick has been placed on the classroom wing, gyms, administration and about a third of the kitchen/commons. Metal wall panel installation has started in the high areas and on the soffits. The metal roof panels were delivered and set on the south roof. Puget Sound Energy set its electrical transformer and permanent power has been brought to the panels inside the building. Work to clear the brush out of the detention pond and establish a bypass pipe along the west side of the property also began.
Inside, work has continued on all systems and finishes. The classrooms area is ready for cabinets, whiteboards, tack boards, and lights. Music rooms are painted, ceiling grid is in, and the area is ready for cabinets and the prefabricated practice rooms. Ninety percent of the polished concrete is complete and covered for protection from other work. The concrete block in the gyms is being sealed and the ceiling area is being prepared for paint. Ceramic tile installation is underway in restrooms throughout the building.
June will be a very busy month on site. Work will begin immediately after school ends on June 23 to prepare the existing lunchroom and music spaces for hazardous material abatement and then demolition. This will entail shutting down the parking area and loop drive off 84th Avenue SE through mid-August. Community access to the track will be as it was last summer, via the trail off 84th Avenue SE. Once the building is removed, there is significant site work to be completed to create the student plaza, a large rain garden, and the paths that will connect the old building with the new. Once the bulk of this heavy work is completed, the final work of asphalt, striping, and landscape will take place in the parking and loop drive area.
June work inside the building will include continuation of finishes, light fixture installation, kitchen tile and possibly the delivery of kitchen equipment. The gym flooring material will arrive during the month to begin the acclimation process prior to installation. The large window frames on the south wall of the commons should be installed and work on the concrete planters, seat walls, and fire lane will continue.
The project is still on schedule and within budget.
Current aerial photo
East elevation of classroom building ready for metal wall panels
North and south elevation of classroom wing
Commons/lunchroom view from library balcony
Band room progress
Bathroom tile installation underway
Polishing the concrete floor in the commons
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The new building is taking shape both inside and out. The masons continue to make progress on the exterior brick veneer and furring strips that will hold the metal wall panels are making their way around the building. The service yard that houses the electrical transformer, generator, and the air-to-water heat pump was built during April. Grading north of the track and south of the commons has started, and window frames are beginning to go in along the easternmost portion of the building. Framing on the south wall of the commons was also completed in April and the shape and details are becoming more identifiable.
Inside the building finishes and equipment are being installed. The most of the gym equipment has been hung and interior window frames are painted and are ready for glass. Concrete floors are being polished, and drywall is being completed in both the administration and library portions of the building.
During May, expect to see metal roof panels arrive for the south roof of the commons. These are up to 75 feet long and will be off-loaded from the loop drive up onto the structure. Metal wall panels for the upper portion of the building exterior walls are scheduled to arrive this month. The plaza to the south of the commons will begin to take shape with the good weather and the brick work will continue. Inside the contractor will be applying finishes, including paint, cabinets, ceiling grid/tiles, ceramic tile and wall panels. Permanent power is scheduled to go into the building mid-month.
The project is still on schedule to open in the fall and it remains within budget.
Aerial view of IMS site, April 28, 2016
Windows installed at the rooms
Service yard enclosure and receiving entry
Equipment in the Auxiliary Gym
Painting the Science Classrooms
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The contractor for the new building continued to make good progress during March. This is such a large structure that walls have been painted and ceiling grid installed at one end, while concrete is still being poured at the other. The weather made early March challenging, but the improved conditions late in the month and into April have allowed things to move forward quickly.
The exterior of the classroom wing at the north end of the building has about 75 percent of the brick veneer installed and furring strips are being placed for metal wall panels. Inside, the lower level classrooms are painted, windows are installed, ceiling grid is in and the rooms are ready for finishes (whiteboards, tack boards and cabinets) to be installed.
The gym and music portion of the building is also taking shape. The gyms are dried out, ductwork and electrical rough-in are underway, and portions of the area are ready for painting. Framing is underway in the locker rooms, the music rooms are insulated and sheetrock is now being installed.
The new commons and kitchen area is transforming. Mechanical units are in, the large hoods for the kitchen have arrived, and the concrete work in the commons has begun.
During the month of April, workers will continue completing roofing details, roughing-in the mechanical and electrical infrastructure, hanging sheetrock, painting, and pouring concrete. Gym equipment, including basketball backboard supports, divider curtains, and a mat mover are scheduled to be installed during spring break the week of April 11.
With students and staff away that week, the loop drive off of 84th Southeast will be closed to traffic so construction activities can flow freely. In addition, the contractor will be removing approximately 14 large cottonwood trees. Nine of these are located just to the west of the track, and five are closer to the new building, just west of the classroom wing. Neighbors in the Lakes neighborhood, and particularly those who are adjacent to the property, have received multiple notices about the tree removal.
The project is still on schedule to open in the fall and it remains within budget.
Aerial photo of IMS site, 3/25/2016.
Upper level classroom ready for finishes.
Pouring the elevated stage in the commons.
3-4-16
The new building made huge strides in February. With the structural CMU (concrete masonry units or blocks) complete and all of the structural steel, minus the commons outdoor area complete, work on roofing and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in all progressed well.
The classroom wing on the north end of the building is receiving windows, drywall is being prepared for paint, temporary heat is on, and the roof is close to complete. At the gym area, the contractor is buttoning up the roof and electrical and plumbing rough-in is underway. In the commons, we have placed the final set of steel stairs, placed the last of the mechanical units, and are close to framed out in the kitchen. Outside the building, the CMU walls that will receive a brick veneer were waterproofed and the below grade brick and flashing is being installed.
In March, we will be painting the classrooms and may take delivery of our first cabinets and countertops. The music rooms will be receiving drywall, the gym will be dried in and mechanical / electrical rough-in will be underway. The commons area, the large space facing south to the fields, will be graded and prepared for concrete slabs. The vault for power will be set early in the month and a section of waterline will be replaced along the track to allow the service yard to start taking shape. Brick veneer will be underway, the metal roof on the south side of the commons will be done on dry days, and on rainy days, metal wall panels around the building will start going up.
We are all excited to see the shape and character of the building coming together. It will be hard to get the full feel and impact of the new structure until the existing commons and music rooms are removed. Demolition is scheduled for this summer.
The project is still on schedule to open in the fall and it remains within budget.
IMS aerial photo, 2/27/16
Roof decking over student courtyard and Commons
Classroom windows and building dried-in for temporary heat