March 2003

Ran: San Diego Daily Transcript-Under Construction - Monday, March 24, 2003

Bear Valley Middle School underway in Escondido

By: Kevin Christensen

The Escondido Union School District, Douglas E. Barnhart Inc. and LPA Architects broke ground on a $16,336,634 campus project for Bear Valley Middle School

The new school in Escondido is approximately 105,000 square feet and will house 1,200 students in grades six through eight. The campus will include a pair of 62,250-square-foot two-story buildings connected by walkways. Each building will include 16 classrooms and two laboratories.

Also included in the plan is a 7,000-square-foot administration building; a 3,600-square-foot music and special educations building with two classrooms; a 21,000-square-foot multipurpose building that will include a food-service area, a teaching station that will be a fitness lab, a state and lockers room; and a lunch shelter, which will be adjacent to the building.

The campus will also feature an 8,300-square-foot library building, including a computer lab, three resource teaching rooms, technology storage and another technical room for a central area for the media distribution system; and a 3,500-square-foot technology and living skills building that will include two classrooms.

All of the administration and tech buildings will be constructed using wood frame and plaster, and the classroom buildings will be steel frame and plaster.

A sophisticated communications unit will be included in the building that includes phone systems, intercom, Internet and alarm systems.

The new school is scheduled to open for the 2004 school year.

The school was designed by Irvine-based LPA, and Barnhart was selected as the general contractor for the project.

The design of the school was funded through Proposition 1A, and the construction of the facility was funded through Proposition K.

Working on the project for the school district are Dr. Mike Caston, superintendent of schools, and Gina Manusov, director of facilities, planning and construction. Julie Rich has been selected as the future principal of Bear Valley Middle School. Barnhart team members will include Jim Fisher, Dale Byrum, Dan Smith and Ann Sadberry.

Subcontractors on the job include: Sierra Pacific West for grading; Davis Mechanical for mechanical work; Able Heating for heating, ventilation and air conditioning; Rocky Coast Framing for framing; J and B Surveying for surveying; and Bridge Tech for the bridge connecting the classroom buildings.

Additional subcontractors include Quality Reinforcing for reinforced steel; McIntyre Co. for steel decking; A. S. Valdiva for pre-cast bridge instillation; Select Electric Inc. for traffic signals; Prime Tile for ceramic tile; and G. A. Rogers Acoustics Inc. for acoustical panel ceilings and acoustical surface treatment.

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