ALABAMA STATE EDITION
231
65
72 Florence
2
Huntsville
20 Decatur
72
565 59
43
A Supplement to:
231
431
31
5
Gadsden
78 59 Anniston
20
Birmingham Bessemer
82 Tuscaloosa
65 280
20 82 Auburn
80
85
Selma
Phenix City
Montgomery
82
September 16 2015
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231
43 84 431 331
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Vol. XXVIII • No. 19
31
45
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
Dothan
65 98
Mobile
10
Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
New $22M School Highlights Mobile County’s Efforts By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
Located across the street from the existing campus, the new $22 million Citronelle High School in south Alabama is a highlight of the Mobile County Public School System’s ongoing construction efforts. The 96,000 sq. ft. (8,918 sq m) building won’t be completed until mid-2016, but is already getting plenty of attention. “The city, staff and students are very excited to get a new high school of this nature in a small town like Citronelle,” said Huey Belaire, the director of construction/planning of the Mobile County Public School System. “|It will be a huge boost to the city, as it will attract new business.” A groundbreaking ceremony was held in January 2015 to mark the start of construction, which some may consider long overdue. “Citronelle High has been in a very old building for many years,” Belaire said. “One of the existing three-story buildings was built in the early 1920’s.” So far, work appears to be on schedule for the two-story structure, which has been described as a high school for the 21st-century. “All plumbing and electrical has been roughed into slab. About 40 percent of the first floor slab is poured. Block walls are going up. Structural steel is being erected and outside utilities are being installed,” Belaire said. Various contractors are needed to complete electrical, plumbing, masonry, steel, utilities, asphalt paving, technology, roofing, mechanical and installation of furniture. As for the biggest challenges on the project, Belaire pointed out, “Completion during the time frame is very important. We have to complete the new school and move in so we can then renovate the existing buildings. We had soil issues to begin with, but all is going well now.” As part of the survey process, the testing company performed borings and analyzed soils. The unsuitable soils discovered would have required structural pilings to be installed at a very high cost. That prompted a search for a different location for the high school. The property where the new construction is taking place had been the site of a mini mall, practice football field and athletic building. “We purchased the mini mall property along Hwy 45, and demolished that, as well as the existing athletic building,” said Belaire. Heavy machinery being used on the project includes bulldozers, track hoes, bobcat, excavators, cranes, dump trucks and a concrete pump truck. Some of the main materials required include brick mortar block concrete steel, plumb-
The Architects Group photo
Located across the street from the existing campus, the new $22 million Citronelle High School in south Alabama is a highlight of the Mobile County Public School System’s ongoing construction efforts.
ing, electrical, drainage, asphalt and roofing. The auditorium will be concrete footer, concrete slab tapered toward the stage, heavy steel structure and masonry walls with large HVAC equipment. The educational space consists of classrooms on both floors. The kitchen/cafeteria/auditorium will be on the first floor. There are regular classrooms, computer labs, chemistry, biology and science labs, a band rooms, choral rooms, administrative space and nurse’s aid rooms. The new school will also feature a large media room with adjoining computer lab and smart boards. Also at the new campus, there will be new drainage, which will include a large storm water
retention pond. The current Citronelle High School facility will become a comprehensive career technical program facility. The standalone cafeteria also will be renovated. In addition, there will be a new football practice field, a band practice field, a new girls' athletic facility and a new boys' athletic facility, along with a completely renovated gymnasium and dressing facility. There are several buildings getting makeovers, including the gymnasium, culinary, consumer science, agriculture and engineering classrooms. For crews on site, wet conditions in recent months have see CITRONELLE page 2