From the Ground Up: Williams Elementary School

Owner/developer: Springfield Public Schools
General contractor: Nabholz Construction Corp.
Architects: Sapp Design Associates Architects PC and Paragon Architecture LLC
Engineers: Toth & Associates Inc., civil and structural; and Interpres Building Solutions LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 70,545 square feet
Estimated cost: $15.6 million
Estimated completion: August
Project description: A new Ed V. Williams Elementary School is being built on the site where the school previously stood since 1930. Demolition began last summer, and Nabholz Construction Project Manager Tim Potthoff said the new layout includes classrooms, science labs, a media center, art rooms and a kitchen. About 8,800 square feet of the building will be a music room and gym that doubles as a storm shelter. Potthoff said the library, which was not demolished, will become a center for the Boys and Girls Club of Springfield Inc. on the site. The club is covering renovation costs and renting the space for $1,725 a month from Springfield Public Schools, according to the SPS website. The O’Reilly family made a donation to the club for naming rights of the new center. The school will serve 350 students in kindergarten through fifth grade and 100 preschool-aged children in a new early childhood hub beginning in the 2021-22 school year, according to the bond project description. Funding comes from a $168 million bond approval by voters in April 2019 to cover 39 high-priority school projects.