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Students will be welcomed back on Monday for their first day of school! The 3-phase project included a new gym and basketball courts, a new two-story classroom building, a new kitchen, and renovations to the older section of the building including an updated HVAC system. A new multipurpose room, administrative offices, nurses clinic, and courtyard are currently under construction and will be turned over to WCSD in phases by the end of this year.

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“We are proud of the immense progress our team has made thus far at Swope,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “This work is a testament to the dedication of our subcontractors, partners, and Washoe County School District.”

The roof atop the new classroom building is finished, and the building is dried in as well. The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-ins are also substantially complete. Thanks to the quick work of our site crews, almost all walls and soffits are completely covered with drywall. Our team is now in the process of taping and texturing the interior walls, which will be followed by paint. On the exterior of the building, the areas in the north courtyard have been excavated for the six above-ground planters that are planned to be built. After the footings for the planters are poured, the forms will be stripped, and the concrete masonry units (CMUs) will be installed.

On the northwest corner of the new gym, the pad for the new chiller unit has been prepped for the concrete slab to be formed and poured. Crews have been working on the HVAC system in the attics of the existing classroom building after school every day, installing new duct work and mechanical equipment.

Concurrent with the physical work on site, United Construction has been meeting with their key subcontractors to plan the sequencing of all work planned to be performed during summer break.

Photos by Ryland Sweigard

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“We are approaching new milestones that will help prepare us to welcome students and staff into their revamped learning space upon project completion,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “We appreciate everyone’s patience and enthusiasm as we shape up the expansions and renovations at the school.”

In the new two-story classroom area, the on-site construction team is in the process of installing the new roof. Upon roof completion, the building will be dried-in. Crews have “one-sided” the drywall in several sections on the first floor and will continue this work on the second floor after roofing work is complete. After the building is dried-in, the team will be able to use a crane to install the new mechanical equipment onto the roof towards the end of this month. Additionally, all the metal stud framing is complete. Crews will continue to work on the rough-in of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and this process should be complete in the coming weeks.

Concurrent to the performance of the physical work on-site, United Construction is holding pre-installation meetings with key subcontractors to plan work on the existing classroom building. Their goal is to commence work that can be done before Washoe County School District releases for the summer, as well as the work that will need to be performed during summer break.

United Construction will continue to update neighbors with current construction information.

Photos by Ryland Sweigard

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“It is exciting to see the swift progress happening at the school, and we only have greater milestones in store as we embrace spring,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “Our site crews are continuing with framing, retrofitting, HVAC installation, and many other finishes within the new classroom building, which is getting closer and closer to completion.”

During the Washoe County School District spring break, crews worked in both the new two-story classroom building and the existing school at the same time. In the new building, the team continued with rough-in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing. They are substantially complete with the metal stud framing on the first floor, and the next focus will be the soffits and ceilings. On the second floor, the team insulated the exterior walls and began metal stud framing there as well.

Within the existing school, site crews are finishing the retrofit of the HVAC system. They cut a large hole in the gable at the front of the building to install new equipment in the attic. Additionally, they are insulating specific areas of the ceiling to increase the R-value, which is a figure that measures how well insulation resists conductive heat flow.

In the north courtyard, the team has installed the new sewer line that connects the new two-story classroom building to an existing sewer line. On the northwest side, crews also began the installation of piping for the new chiller.

United Construction will continue to update neighbors with current construction information.

Photos by Ryland Sweigard

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“We are thrilled to be about a quarter of the way through with the final phase of the expansions and renovations at Swope,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “Our team has been using the dry weather this winter to their advantage and making great progress, so students and staff can start making more use of their new facilities.”

Site crews have completed the concrete masonry unit walls for the new two-story classroom building and scaffolding has been removed. Structural steel, including roof beams and columns, and second-floor concrete slabs are also complete, and exterior grid insulation and steel stud framing is currently underway. United Construction and crews are working after school hours on mechanical, plumbing and electrical upgrades within the current classroom building.

The new library will be housed within the new classroom building. While construction is underway, students are still utilizing the temporary library set up in the activity room of the new gym.

Inside the new kitchen, walls have been painted, and the epoxy floor is in. The facilities are close to completion and will soon be ready for use.

Please note that neighbors will continue to see increased truck traffic as site work continues throughout the school year. Be advised that safety and road controls will always be put in place whenever needed. United Construction will continue to update neighbors with current construction information.

Photos by Ryland Sweigard

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“We are anticipating great progress at Swope continuing to shape up throughout 2022,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “We’d like to thank all our partners, as well as the surrounding neighborhood, for coming along on this journey with us and celebrating the milestones thus far.”

In regards to the new two-story classroom building (pictured above), structural steel erection has started. As a reminder, the building will be the new home for a resource center, math and science classrooms, technology lab, new teachers’ lounge and workspace, social science and language classrooms, a group room for various activities and a hub space.

Site crews have begun HVAC demo and replacement in the attic space within the existing school. Mechanical, plumbing and electrical upgrades are also progressing well within the current school grounds. This work will continue through the end of summer.

The remodeled and expanded kitchen is almost complete, and crews are gearing up for the facilities being ready to use by staff in the coming months.

Crew members are prepared for further winter weather in case more snow is forecasted throughout the season. Safety continues to be a top priority for United Construction and subcontractors.

Drone photo by Ryland Sweigard

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“Safety is of utmost importance to our entire team, and with snow affecting our line of work, safety is especially at the forefront,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “We take no shortcuts and always ensure everyone onsite practices the highest quality safety measures, especially in extreme weather.”

Crews are almost complete with masonry walls for the new two-story classroom building. Scaffolding went vertical this month as well, which you can see depicted in the picture above. Additionally, the structural steel erection will start during the first part of January.

Mechanical, plumbing and electrical upgrades for the existing classrooms continue onwards. The team is working on an afternoon swing shift after school hours with a focus on replacing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

Site crews completed early morning concrete pours at the beginning of this month. We will ensure neighbors are made aware of any future early morning concrete work at the school.

Drone photo by Ryland Sweigard

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“As we pass Thanksgiving and continue into the December holidays, we are thankful for our employees as well as our subcontractors and Washoe County School District partners for all they have done for the students and staff,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “All of the incredible milestones we have hit thus far are a testament to the talent and dedication of the entire team.”

The two-story classroom building will go vertical this month with masonry and structural steel. This means that the shell of the building will start to become visible by the Swope community. When finished, the building will house a new resource center, math and science classrooms, a technology lab, a new teachers’ lounge and workspace, social science and language classrooms, a group room for various activities, a new library and a hub space.

In regards to the existing classrooms, mechanical, plumbing and electrical upgrades are under way. This work will continue from now through the summer of 2022.

Early morning concrete slab pours plan to be wrapped up this week. Site crews commenced pours in the morning to reduce the amount of disruptions for staff and students during school hours, as well as prevent traffic jams at peak driving times and preserve the quality of the project.

The Ambassador Program is gearing up to start soon. As a part of the program, students can expect visits from industry professionals who will speak to them about several aspects of the construction industry, including contracting, architecture, design, engineering and more.

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