From the Ground Up: Eugene Field Elementary School addition

Owner: Springfield Public Schools
General contractor: Branco Enterprises Inc.
Architect: Paragon Architecture LLC
Engineers: Toth and Associates Inc., structural and civil, and Interpres Building Solutions LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 10,000 square feet
Funding: April 2019 Prop S bond issue
Cost: $4.1 million
Estimated completion: August
Project description: Field Elementary is getting a three-for-one deal with an addition currently under construction adjacent to the school. The structure will serve as a combination gymnasium and auditorium, as well as a tornado saferoom. The multipurpose building will include a basketball and volleyball court, along with a stage fronted by extendable bleachers for audience seating. According to Teresa Bledsoe, spokesperson for the district, the facility offers a number of efficiencies, primarily in scheduling. Students previously were using a combination cafeteria/gymnasium space, and physical education classes had to be timed around lunches. “It does make a big difference,” Bledsoe said. “It gives kids a lot more space to play sports, and they have more space to move in. They’re not working around cafeteria tables stacked up in corners.” The building also will provide a location for school assemblies and speakers. The building is constructed of two-tone precast concrete.