Bond Construction Updates

Construction Progress

The Grandville Education Center on Fairlanes is now open. It houses preschool and daycare programs as well as Pathways. A second expansion of this space took place in 2021-22.
Air conditioning has been installed in all remaining elementary buildings.
The high school pool received cosmetic updates and improved electrical and mechanical systems.
Construction of our new middle school and robotics center is complete. Grandville Middle School and the Robotics Competition Center that is connected to it both opened in August 2023 at 4900 Canal Ave. SW.
Renovations for the 5-6 building (the former middle school) have begun. It will open as a 5-6 building in fall 2024 for the 2024-25 school year. Community Education will also be headquartered here.
Other upgrades, including bus garage upgrades and safety and security upgrades, are also underway.

Our construction management partner, Owen Ames Kimball, will update this design and construction blog periodically if you'd like to see photos of changes in the district. You can also follow our bond construction Facebook page.

7-8 Building Site Plan

The site plan below was presented by GMB Architects & Engineers to the Board of Education on Oct. 5, 2020.

Downloadable PDF of site plan below

Q-&-A with Neighboring Property Owners

We are happy to answer any questions neighbors might have about construction. Click on each question below to reveal the answer from our Q-&-A with neighboring property owners.

GMB mentioned the tree line you are saving is 25 feet. It is more like 40 feet. I hope you can leave the trees that form such a nice border for the property owners.

We are protecting the 25 feet closest to the property line. The GMB architect was talking about there being approximately 15 feet of woods in the residents back yards, so there would be roughly 40 feet of trees and brush remaining.

Will there be a path from Brookcrest to access the fields? If so, people will park on Brookcrest to get to the fields. I do think you need to provide additional parking along the practice field and softball field, so people do not park in the neighborhood.

The intent is to connect to the path from Brookcrest to allow for students walking/riding bikes to school from the neighborhood. We will continue to review the parking spots to see what can be added. We will follow up with you on parking counts / location.

Are the fields going to be lit?

No.

Will you consider putting a privacy fence behind the houses along Windybrook?

We believe the buffer distance, trees, and other potential landscape should help with this, not to mention the sight lines being lower than normal. Initially, we do not plan to install a privacy fence.

When will this project begin?

Sitework begins the winter of 2020-21. Construction vehicles will enter off of the Canal side until the roadway from 52nd is developed in the next bid package. The entry from Wilson and subsequent existing parking would be used for construction workers' personal vehicles.

I would prefer not to have restrooms by the softball field. That is nothing but a problem for the school and the neighborhood. During the season the fields are used, place two portable toilets by the fields. I would prefer none but really don't want to have permanent restrooms in my backyard.

The current design and budget do not call for restrooms. The District anticipates using portable toilets for the limited amount of events and activities that happen there throughout the non-winter seasons.