In early June 2016, the International Baccalaureate (IB) organization officially authorized Kit Carson as an IB World School. Kit Carson is the first Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) school to offer the IB for middle school years. According to the school district, IB schools are inquiry-based and aim to develop young people who are critical thinkers and dedicated to enhancing the social, cultural and economic climates of the world. Learn more about the SCUSD Kit Carson IB program at the district website.
Just as SCUSD received notice of this scholastic milestone, Landmark Construction was undertaking three projects simultaneously to enhance the school’s facilities and learning environment, explained Paul Hanson, Executive Vice President, Landmark Construction. “It was a cooperative effort to coordinate three different projects in targeted areas of the campus with three separate funding sources,” said Hanson.
Dave Conner, Project Manager, Landmark Construction, explained that this was a highly collaborative project between the school district, architect and subcontractors. “With the architects at Lionakis, we were able to address design engineering issues that cropped up once the project was underway. For example, we did the trenching for incorporating the new utility services planned by PG&E and SMUD,” said Conner. By cooperating with the local utility, Landmark Construction installed a gas line that was scheduled for future replacement.
“Our subcontractors were invaluable in completing this multi-phase project on schedule and under budget,” said Conner.
Landmark Construction also helped the district plan ahead for future construction by completing some site work during the summer of 2016 in preparation for the future art and science buildings, explained Hanson. “We worked closely with the district and the architect, to lay the groundwork for future renovations to convert the middle school into an International Baccalaureate High School for seventh to twelfth grades,” said Hanson. The projects also increased sustainability, enhanced accessibility and boosted energy efficiency.
To prevent rainwater falling on hard surfaces being transported away from the site in storm drains, a more environmentally sustainable system was built. “The goal was to allow rain water to percolate back into the soil at the site,” said Hanson. “This is done through an engineered earthen works system of bio swales, retention ponds, water leeching systems and absorbent soil that capture rain water and direct it back into the local aquifers. The landscaping was also designed to support this system.”
As part of the intensive summer construction projects, sidewalks were replaced to make the school site more accessible. New wrought iron fencing and landscaping also beautified the site.
The boiler and HVAC system in the gym/multi-purpose room were upgraded to more modern, highly efficient equipment. This required re-configuring the duct work and repairing old plaster. Energy efficiency was further improved by updating the solar energy generation system. Older solar shingles were removed, some parts were salvaged for reuse and new more efficient solar shingles were installed.
To see what’s planned for the future of this school, check out the Lionakis description and renderings of the plan to make this Kit Carson Middle School into an International Baccalaureate High School serving grades 7-12.
In December 2016, Landmark Construction started work on phase 2 of this project as shown in the photos.