Woolpert Project Manager Maureen McElfresh said the firm is familiar with the 92,000-square-foot Poquoson Middle School site. In 2013, Waller, Todd & Sadler Architects and a team of consulting engineers completed a Facility Assessment Study for the school, which was built in 11 construction phases from 1931 to 1994. The study evaluated the existing physical conditions of the site and offered multiple, tiered renovation options.
“That study was to help the school division determine how they were going to best spend their money, laid out in four renovation options, considering immediate need, meeting standards and how to best support students moving forward,” McElfresh said. “Then the school division worked with the Poquoson City Council on the financial end and determined that a thorough modernization would be the most economically viable option.”
The firm will work within the city’s budget to perform design upgrades to the existing facility, utilizing input gained through the programming and public input process. McElfresh said the project will address portions of the building that are more prone to flooding and possibly include building a new auditorium. The school has a student enrollment of approximately 550, which is projected to increase over the next 10 years to approximately 675 students based on a demographic study compiled by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.
“The division wants to ensure the money has the most impact on the overall facility and will best benefit the kids and the region,” McElfresh said. “Even though this is an 87-year-old building, it can adapt to provide everything students and faculty need to excel in the 21st century.”
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The modernization is scheduled to complete its design phase in February 2020, begin construction in May 2020 and be ready to open in September 2022.
