The Bayshore Elementary School District (BESD) was seeking a construction partner that could build a temporary school site, demolish an old school and then build a fabulous new $30 million dollar state-of-the-art urban campus. And the district wanted it done in one year, explained Joe Bittaker, President, Landmark Construction.
“We were told that other contractors said that it was impossible and walked away from the opportunity,” said Bittaker. “The district contacted us because our team has built a reputation for ‘getting it done,’ with quality workmanship in very tight timeframes through intense planning and collaboration. We were up for the challenge. We’ll see children happily learning in their beautiful new school next year.”
In June 2016, Landmark Construction began the two-phase Bayshore Elementary School District project in Daly City in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is a negotiated Lease-Leaseback project.
Phase one of the project was to build interim housing for the Bayshore Elementary students on the property at Robertson Intermediate School. The administrative staff temporarily relocated to 12 leased portable buildings in August and will be there for one year. Landmark Construction made site improvements to the temporary location including power, plumbing, data service and fire alarms, as well as paving, fencing and gates.
To see a pictorial review of the progress made on this project, you can follow the “Bayshoreesd” Instagram account, posted by Dr. Audra Pittman, Superintendent, Bayshore Elementary School District. This project fulfills one of five primary BESD goals: “By 2017, the learning environments of the Bayshore Elementary School District will be transformed into a new state-of-the-art 21st Century Learning Facility for all TK-8 students.”
The second phase of the project, currently underway, is to construct a new 50,836 square foot school on a 2.12 acre site located on the property of the Bayshore Elementary School in Daly City. The structures on the site were demolished and soil remediation completed in August. “The progress was described by the owner as ‘remarkable,’” said Bittaker.
The milestone of completing groundwork and infrastructure was achieved ahead of schedule in September. Watch this movie of the Landmark Construction project team in action, pouring the foundation.
According to Bittaker, they have had to be very strategic in managing labor and materials shortages that might impact the timeline. “We broke the contract into two parts in anticipation of procurement difficulties,” said Bittaker. “We ordered the steel first to be sure it would arrive at the site and be erected on time.”
To get an idea what is coming next, check out this 3D rendering of what the new Bayshore Elementary School will look like when completed, produced by architect.
Built on a three level tiered site, the new school includes a wing of 24 classrooms, multi-purpose room, kitchen and administrative office. Additional site work includes paving, landscaping, utilities, a parking lot, playgrounds, repair of city sidewalks and curb cuts.
According to Joe Bittaker, President, Landmark Construction, the Bayshore Elementary School District project is one of the larger projects the company has undertaken. “Our team’s efforts on similar projects have built an excellent record of project delivery through collaborative construction,” said Bittaker.
“Phase one of the project went exceptionally well and we are delighted to be working with the Bayshore Elementary School District to meet their goals. This school will be a beautiful addition to the neighborhood that is in the shadow of the Cow Palace Arena and will offer children an exceptional education experience.”
According to Bittaker, Landmark Construction is hiring construction professionals who like to challenge themselves and to work collaboratively. The company offers an impressive array of employee benefits including employee ski days, alpine training, charitable golf events and use of company cabin and the company race car on a race track. In addition, Landmark Construction sponsors employees participating in challenging events such as marathons, iron man, bicycle races, motocross, cross country off road motorcycle and other endurance races or events that benefit education charities. See employment openings at the Landmark Construction website .
(Feature photo from film produced by Carl Costas)