{"id":3745,"date":"2019-10-02T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mkec.com\/?p=3745"},"modified":"2021-11-01T09:49:02","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T14:49:02","slug":"kck-school-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mkec.com\/kck-school-bond\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission to Modernize America\u2019s Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"
America\u2019s school districts are on a mission to modernize, and that\u2019s creating a lot of opportunity for engineering firms with this niche expertise \u2013 like MKEC \u2013 to create a lasting impact on our children and our future. Large school bond issues are not only one of our specialty areas \u2013 they\u2019re also among our favorite projects.<\/p>\n
Case in point: Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Overcrowded buildings. Leaky pipes. Hot or icy cold classrooms. Buildings reaching the end of their useful lives, and students learning 21st-century concepts in schools built when JFK was president. When the Kansas City metro area\u2019s third-largest school district faced large-scale facilities needs, they turned to us for help.<\/p>\n\n\n Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) knew its buildings were long overdue for some serious improvements. In 2016, voters overwhelmingly agreed, approving a $235 million no tax increase bond package for upgrades, replacements and repurposing at each of the district\u2019s schools. MKEC teamed with local architecture firms to provide survey, civil engineering, and landscape architecture services for this massive undertaking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our primary engineering success was designing and permitting an estimated\n$167.5 million in construction costs in just a two-year period. This included\nreplacing five outdated schools \u2013 three elementary and two middle schools \u2013\nwith modern new facilities; five significant school additions; and total\nre-plumbing at three 1930s-era schools, where we separated the sanitary and\nstorm sewer lines on the buildings\u2019 exteriors. These are just a few of the many\nchanges implemented. Thanks to enhanced access control implemented at building\nentrances, more KCKPS are safer and more secure than before. The district\u2019s\nhigh schools now boast 21st<\/sup> century learning spaces, modern science\nlabs and space for new College & Career Academies. In a district where 93\npercent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches, our work supported\nkitchen and cafeteria renovations and additions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Significant site constraints presented us with some unique engineering\nchallenges. Even though plans called for tearing down several existing\nfacilities, KCKPS didn\u2019t always have the luxury of moving students to other\nbuildings. Working closely with our design and construction team, we made sure\nour plans allowed for uninterrupted operations at the older buildings \u2013\nensuring the safety of students and teachers \u2013 while the new schools were under\nconstruction just steps away. Through it all we took a lead role, acting as the\nmain contact with the Unified Government and scheduling bi-weekly meetings to promote\ncoordination with the Unified Government and other stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter the project, we do what\u2019s best for our client in terms\nof budget. The District Design Team contributed cost-saving efficiencies during\nthe KCKPS project that have allowed the bond projects to be on time and below\nbudget. That is true engineering success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It’s important to do our part to make sure students and teachers are equipped with the tools necessary to succeed in our ever-changing world.”<\/p>Brian Hochstein, PLA, Project Manager<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re honored to contribute to KCKPS not just as engineers, but as mentors, instructors and guides. We also serve as a member of the Career and Advisory Board at J.C. Harmon High School. By helping to bring their schools into the 21st<\/sup> century, we\u2019ve not only provided students with the foundation for a strong education; we\u2019ve also helped to inspire the next generation of innovators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be challenging to plan for long-term operations, maintenance and construction of public school infrastructure. That\u2019s where working with a trusted team of experts like ours can help. Contact us<\/a> to discuss ways MKEC can strengthen your schools\u2019 infrastructure to bolster student success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n America\u2019s school districts are on a mission to modernize, and that\u2019s creating a lot of opportunity for engineering firms with this niche expertise \u2013 like MKEC \u2013 to create a lasting impact on our children and our future. Large school bond issues are not only one of our specialty areas \u2013 they\u2019re also among our favorite projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,7],"tags":[148,141,146,144,145,149,142,147,140,143,30,137],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n<\/figure><\/li>
<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/li>
<\/figure><\/li>
<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/li>
<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"