Referendum Projects at Hinckley-Finlayson Public Schools

Referendum Projects at Hinckley-Finlayson Public Schools

Education and athletics at Hinckley-Finlayson Public Schools has been revitalized. In November 2017, the District went out for a community vote to modernize aging facilities, improve and expand learning and recreational areas, and increase overall safety. The bond passed, and the $14.3 million District-wide renovation began. “I really enjoyed working on this project with school board members and school staff. It was so exciting to see how great the projects progressed and how positively they’ve impacted students and the community,” said Project Director Damien Williams.

A prominent driving force behind the improvements throughout Hinckley-Finlayson schools was quality education. The growing demand for early childhood and special education led to the addition of new classrooms aimed at better serving a variety of learning types and student needs. Breakout spaces and faster technology were also incorporated to aid in student success.

While providing a good education is at the heart of every school, Hinckley-Finlayson also understood the importance of safety for their students and staff. As a result, safety upgrades were a priority when facilities improvement planning first began. All school buildings within the District received security camera systems as well as better, safer, and more welcoming entrances.

This increased protection for students and staff during emergency situations offered more control for the office staff to monitor people entering and exiting the buildings. Student pickup and drop-off points, a longtime safety concern for parents, were also revamped to reduce congested areas and create an overall safer experience.

Creating usable community and recreational space was another focus for Hinckley-Finlayson Public Schools. The original gym, once a state-of-the-art facility built in 1971, had become unsafe, outdated, and undersized to meet the needs of student-athletes. This resulted in many students crossing a busy county highway to use a local banquet hall for additional recreational space, adding even more safety concerns.

Now, the students at Hinckley-Finlayson have a brand-new gym, walking track, and fitness center that they can share alongside the community that is also safe. Superintendent Rob Prater said, “Our high school students love the new gym and are so proud of it. We were going to move our virtual graduation out of the gym to a smaller space due to COVID, but our students expressed how important it was to them to graduate in their new gym. The community also enjoys convenient access to several education rooms, walking track, and fitness center.”

With a long-standing tradition of excellence, Hinckley-Finlayson has exemplified that tradition with a fresh and modern atmosphere aimed at keeping students and staff safe while creating opportunities for success and togetherness with the surrounding communities.

THE IMPACT:

“The community now has more convenient access to our schools. Our education rooms, walking track, and fitness center all have more use than we anticipated, and we were able to set up the space for more convenient access to people during the school day and outside of school hours. High school students are also proud of the large, and gorgeous, gymnasium. We were able to set this up so the drama department has access to the concessions stand and more locker room space that can be used as dressing/ make up rooms.” — Rob Prater, Superintendent

PROJECT INFORMATION:

Size: 34,282 SF addition at the High School and a 1,581 SF addition at the elementary school

Project Cost: $14.3 million

Completion Date: June 2019

Services Provided: Project Development, Pre-Referendum Planning, Program Management, and Technical Services

ICS Team: Jeff Schiltz, Damien Williams, Angie Stahnke, Kevin Wormuth, Nate Hendrickson, Nate Hastings, Dana Fontaine, and Mark Cobb

Project Team: DSGW Architects, Ebert Construction, Grazzini Brothers & Company, Inspec, Obernel Engineering, and Northland Consulting Engineers