The Newsletter Communities Unite at INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT 318 OUR HUSKERS, OUR FUTURE Holdingford Public Schools sees referendum projects come to fruition. ISD 15 (St. Francis Area Schools): BUILDING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER MORE THAN CONSTRUCTION What are “Technical Services?” #COVIDConvos: ENGAGING WITH SUPERINTENDENTS ABOUT COVID-19
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CONTENTS FEATURE STORY
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More Than Construction: What are Technical Services? If you work outside of the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, the term “technical services” may not be familiar to you. In a nutshell, these services ensure facilities operate well. Read on to learn more.
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Communities Unite at Independent School District 318 Building trusted partnerships is the key to successful projects. In April 2018, Independent School District 318 (Grand Rapids Public Schools) passed a $68.9 million referendum to build two new elementary schools and remodel the existing Cohasset Elementary.
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ISD 15 (St. Francis Area Schools): Building our Future Together Building Our Future Together – the tagline from the $80 million referendum for St. Francis Area Schools, ISD 15. This project addressed deferred maintenance and facility needs, improved safety, security, accessibility, and enhanced learning environments.
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Our Huskers, Our Future: Holdingford Public Schools see referendum projects come to fruition. Major elements of these projects included a six-classroom addition at the Elementary School, a new roof for the High School and Elementary School, safety and security improvements, an expanded High School commons area, deferred maintenance improvements, and site improvements.
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#COVIDConvos: Engaging with Local Superintendents on COVID-19 Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ICS has worked alongside school superintendents and community experts to provide the latest best practices and resources on how school districts can ensure their students, staff, and communities’ safety. Photography by Silverman Be Remarkable
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS There’s nothing better than this time of year! There’s so much to look forward to whether it’s an early morning snowfall, the glow from holiday decorations illuminate our homes and communities, or the fact that kids are on their best behavior anticipating Santa’s arrival. I also love this time of year because it allows us to look back at what’s happened in the last 12 months as we plan for the new year. This year has undoubtedly kept everyone on their toes, and while many of us have faced unforeseen setbacks in the way we live our lives and do business, there are still a lot of great things that happened in 2020 that are worth recognizing. In this issue of IMPACT, we highlight the three elementary projects completed at ISD 318 (Grand Rapids Public Schools), the referendum projects at ISD 15 (St. Francis Area Schools), and the Holdingford Public Schools referendum project. Additionally, we’ve included a feature that dives into our technical services team, with exclusive insight from ICS’s Director of Technical Services, Dana Fontaine. 2020 threw us a curve ball with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many of us to reassess how we do business and live our lives. We decided to include a bonus article showcasing how ICS has worked alongside school superintendents and community experts to provide the latest best practices and resources on how school districts can ensure their students, staff, and communities’ safety.
We hope that by providing our expertise in project development, construction, building commissioning, and more, we can help you focus on what you’re good at – leading your districts and educating students. Although we can’t predict what will happen in 2021, we know that your goal, and ours, is to create an excellent year for students and staff. Have a Happy New Year! Mike Piper
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Communities Unite at
ISD 318
Building trusted partnerships is the key to successful projects. In April 2018, Independent School District 318 (Grand Rapids Public Schools) passed a $68.9 million referendum to build two new elementary schools and remodel the existing Cohasset Elementary. These facilities aimed to address severe overcrowding in the District as well as provide economic benefits to the surrounding communities. This referendum stemmed from years of planning and partnership development between the District and the cities of Grand Rapids and Cohasset.
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The District and the City of Grand Rapids spent significant time determining ideal locations to place the two new elementary schools within the City limits. In the end, the City of Grand Rapids and ISD 318 agreed on a land swap to provide the best use of property by both entities. The District received land previously owned by the City to build the new elementary schools, and the City received property that would no longer be in use by the District, which allowed them to utilize pockets of land for economic development and housing. “Every public entity needs to communicate with each other, and they need to recognize that sometimes they need to give it to one another,” stated Tom Pagel, City Administrator for the City of Grand Rapids. He added “this partnership helped us create a healthier and stronger community.”
Photography by Silverman Be Remarkable
Partnering with the City of Cohasset led to the addition of childcare and senior citizen community center to the existing Cohasset Elementary school. These facilities provided much needed amenities for the growing community and brought an economic boost to the city. Max Peters, City Administrator for the City of Cohasset said, “One of the biggest opportunities and challenges is finding ways that the project is mutually beneficial for everyone. What was amazing about this collaboration was the opportunity to bolster the communities that we have.” The unique partnership between Independent School District 318 and the Cities of Grand Rapids and Cohasset led to the completion of facilities that will not only continue to provide a great benefit to the students, but the surrounding communities for generations to come. IMPACT: THE ICS NEWSLETTER | 5
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“In an environment like we’re in today, people want to see communities and government entities come together. This project did that. Everything is built on relationships, and those relationships build trust. When you have trust, people listen to ideas that are brought to the table and are on board to work together. This project was a win-win all the way around and great for our communities.” — Pat Medure, ISD 318 Board Chair
Photography by Silverman Be Remarkable
Size: 106,500 SF for new East Rapids ES, 106,500 SF for new West Rapids ES, and 70,000 SF for Cohasset ES additions and renovations Project Cost: $83.4 million Completion Date: Fall 2020 Services Provided: project development, pre-referendum, program management, and technical services
ICS Team: Jeff Schiltz, Sean Lewis, Kent Koerbitz, Brett Baldry, Angie Stahnke, Rick Schmidt, Jack Carlson, Jason Johnson, and Jacob Bresnahan Project Team: Wold Architects and Engineers, Northland Consulting Engineers, Obernel Engineers, SEH
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ISD 15 (St. Francis Area Schools)
BUILDING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER Building Our Future Together – the tagline from the $80 million referendum for ISD 15 (St. Francis Area Schools). Successfully passed in November 2017, this single-question ballot addressed critical deferred maintenance and physical facility needs, improved District-wide safety, security, accessibility, and enhanced educational spaces and learning environments. After an unsuccessful referendum in May of that same year, the District focused on reaching out to community members at local events, hosting several public forums and dialogue sessions, gathering input through a community survey, and overall listening to their community members before refining the referendum scope and going out for another vote. ISD 15 serves more than 4,800 students across nine cities and townships, and feedback from these communities was key to the second bond proposal. “As a planning committee, we were confident that we had identified all of the District’s needs in the first referendum effort, but after it was voted down, we needed to take a closer look at exactly what areas of the plan the community wanted us to focus on and which areas were not going to be supported.” said ICS Principal Pat Overom. Additions, renovations, and improvements took place across all District facilities including the Early Childhood Family Center, St. Francis Elementary School, East Bethel Elementary School, St. Francis Middle
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School, St. Francis High School, St. Francis Learning Center, and the St. Francis Maintenance Building. Over the next three years, schedules, phasing, and coordination were critical to completing construction in these occupied facilities.
Photography by Silverman Be Remarkable
ICS Project Director Chris Rear said, “at least two buildings were under construction at all times, and during peak construction there were five. To minimize disruption, ICS and the project team took part in extensive pre-planning. Once construction was underway, weekly construction meetings were held to discuss all projects and schedules for the next month. Monthly meetings also took place with Community Education and IT. With a District of this size, there were many moving points and stakeholders to coordinate with so proactive information was critical to our team’s success.”
Size: 898,000 SF Project Cost: $80.06 million Completion Date: November 2020 Services Provided: Project development, planning, pre-referendum communications, owner’s representation, and technical services ICS Team: Pat Overom, Chris Rear, Chris Vogel, Charles Gooselaw, Dylan Keck, Jacob Bresnahan, Karin Borowicz, Dana Fontaine, Pat Schaefer, Brandon Schmidt, Matt Ries, and CJ Leppla Project Team: Wold Architects and Engineers, Obernel Engineering, BKBM Engineers, Anderson-Johnson Associates, Inc. (now Bolton & Menk), KUE Contractors, Inc., Rochon Corporation, Ebert Construction, and BCI Construction, Inc.
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Major elements of the referendum included a 10-classroom addition at St. Francis Elementary to bring all SFE students into one building, a fourclassroom addition at East Bethel Elementary to eliminate the use of portable classrooms, reallocation of underutilized spaces, providing flexible teaching and learning environments, reorganizing building and classroom layout, creating adequate space for programs such as special education, modernizing classrooms for effective 21st Century
learning, completing District-wide safety and security improvements, various deferred maintenance items, and other physical needs. These improvements will impact students for generations to come and fulfill the District’s mission. Overom added, “It’s extremely rewarding to think about how much of a positive impact these improvements will have on students, staff, and the community for years to come.”
Photography by Silverman Be Remarkable
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“SFAS is very grateful for our community’s support. District-wide we now have secure entries at each building, modern updates with natural light and branding throughout all buildings, flexible learning spaces for improved learning experiences, new special education suites. and new parent drop off away from bus drop-off. Our schools look amazing, students and staff are feeling proud of their school now and we are rid of the old, worn out feeling the buildings had. Parents are confident now that their students are safe with the new security measures in place, and the community is enjoying the new spaces for events and facility use. SFAS has renewed pride. #SaintsPride.” — Lisa Rahn, Director of Community Education
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MORE THAN CONSTRUCTION
WHAT ARE TECHNICAL SERVICES? 12 | IMPACT: THE ICS NEWSLETTER
If you work outside of the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, the term “technical services� may not be familiar to you. In a nutshell, these services ensure facilities operate well.
Photography by Sean Donohue
It used to be that the architects and engineers who designed projects would be very hands-on during construction. Not only did they design the buildings and their systems, they commissioned them as well. Over the last 30 years or so, the industry evolved to where those folks are more focused on design and building commissioning has become an industry within an industry. Add to that the expectation that buildings be sustainable, and even more services popped up in that area and evolved into what, today, we call technical services. At ICS, our technical services team provides building commissioning, re-commissioning, energy audits, rebate opportunities, facility assessments, value engineering, and utility services. Although ICS was founded in 2006, the technical services team started in 2014 when Dana Fontaine, Director of Technical Services, joined the firm. Dana has been active in
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the construction industry for over 30 years. “I came to ICS because I knew the people, and I had worked with them on several projects over the years,” he said, “I liked what they were doing and how they cared about their clients and their projects. They wanted to make a difference in the industry, and so did I. I knew I could bring value to their organization and help them get better results for their projects and their clients.”
GROWING THE TEAM Building a strong team was the next step to growing this part of ICS’s portfolio. Dana said, “As I worked to find some of the best talent in the industry, I didn’t want to just focus on getting the best mechanical engineers or the best technicians – it had to be a well-rounded team.” Photography by Sean Donohue
“As I worked to find some of the best talent in the industry, I didn’t want to just focus on getting the best mechanical engineers or the best technicians – it had to be a wellrounded team.”
Now, our team includes degreed engineers, technicians, and Engineersin-Training that give us the edge needed to provide successful and professional technical services. Our team has diverse education, experience, and background - that’s what makes us the experts in the industry.
“Our team can collectively solve the most complex building systems’ issues. What it comes down to is that we deliver solutions and we’re very proud to be a part of our clients’ journeys in facilities that run well.”
Fontaine said, “We have clients with problems that have been plaguing their facilities for years that other companies haven’t been able to figure out. So, when our diverse team is brought in, we’re able to successfully deliver solutions. For the whole team, it’s very gratifying.”
HOW OUR TEAM IMPACTS PROJECTS Operating as an independent group within ICS, they provide critical quality control and assurance during the design phases of a project – solving building issues before systems are
even installed, saving the clients both time and money. The team also assists with reviewing drawings, value engineering, and ensuring all building systems are designed to code and to the client’s expectations. The team stays involved through design reviews, submittal reviews for equipment, construction observation, and installation verification. As each project progresses, they begin to transition into commissioning, utility monitoring, and energy benchmarking to set the facilities, and our clients, up for success as they transition into operating their new or improved facilities. Fontaine said, “Our team can collectively solve the most complex building systems’ issues. What it comes down to is that we deliver solutions and we’re very proud to be a part of our clients’ journeys in facilities that run well.”
Dana Fontaine, CPMP, BCxP, CCP, CxA, LEED AP BD+C dana.fontaine@ics-builds.com 952-288-4880
OUR HUSKERS, OUR FUTURE
Holdingford Public Schools see referendum projects come to fruition. Starting in 2015, Holdingford Public Schools began their long-range planning journey and spent several months identifying and quantifying their educational and facility-related needs. Initially put to voters in an unsuccessful November 2017 referendum, the District went back to their community, gathered feedback, and revamped their community outreach and communications strategy. ICS worked alongside the District to increase awareness of the referendum with a brand identity, Our Huskers
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Our Future, and increased engagement through mailers, brochures, and social media. In November 2018, the Holdingford community voted and passed an $11.14 million referendum to address space needs, aging infrastructure, safety and security issues, and site-related needs. “These additions and renovations had a major impact on the community. It also created additional activity space that both the District and community can use.” said ICS Principal Pat Overom.
Major elements of the referendum included a six-classroom addition at the Elementary School to accommodate growth and evolved program space needs, a new roof for the High School and Elementary School, safety and security improvements, an expanded High School commons area, deferred maintenance improvements, and site improvements to improve on-site traffic flow and pedestrian safety. “Prior to these improvements, security was a major concern. With these renovations, safety and
“The finished project has already had a positive impact on our district. The additional PreK/Kindergarten rooms have provided the much-needed space. In previous years, enrollment growth had created stress on our building but now we have been able to provide the necessary space for all our programs. The secure entrances and HS commons area were much needed and greatly appreciated additions to our building. The commons are used for additional workspaces and a welcome area for our students and staff. Additionally, the secure entrances have now created proper visitor flow, which adds the needed security measures our building was sorely missing.“ — Chris Swenson, Holdingford Public Schools Superintendent
Photography by Silverman Be Remarkable
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Photography by Silverman Be Remarkable
security are greatly improved and visitors now have to be checked into the building safely.� said ICS Senior Project Manager Kyle Walter. As Holdingford Public Schools continues to grow, staff and community members can feel confident that the renovations and additions made to their facilities will allow the District to continue its history of providing excellent educational opportunities for all students while ensuring their safety and wellbeing.
Size: 14,900 SF Project Cost: $11.14 million Completion Date: August 2020 Services Provided: Facility assessment, long-range planning, pre-referendum planning, owner’s representative, and technical services
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ICS Team: Pat Overom, Kyle Walter, Luke Selken, Brett Baldry, Karin Borowicz, Dana Fontaine, Pat Schaefer, and Brandon Schmidt Project Team: MLA Architects, Obernel Engineering, LS Engineers, Breitbach Construction Company, Braun Intertec, Kraemer Trucking and Excavating, McDowall Company, and Granite City Roofing
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#COVIDCONVOS: ENGAGING WITH LOCAL SUPERINTENDENTS ON COVID-19 Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ICS has worked alongside school superintendents and community experts to provide the latest best practices and resources on how school districts can ensure their students, staff, and communities’ safety. We found that leaders had many opportunities to get information on best practices and how-tos, but there wasn’t somewhere they could just talk, or a space where people who cared would ask: How’s it going? What’s worked for your District? Are there things that you tried that didn’t work? A place to share practical information from real districts who were in the middle of it all - the planning and preparation of the summer and the trial and error of the fall. Since June, ICS has held Zoom webinars on most Fridays over the lunch hour. These webinars provided a space for superintendents to have open conversations about how things were going amid the global pandemic. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to get involved and be there for our Districts who have given us so much over the last 14 years.
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A huge
thank you
to those who’ve attended any of our webinars since June!
LEARN MORE!
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Attendees since June
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People involved since June
CONTACT AN ICS TEAM MEMBER NEAR YOU! Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
Pat Overom 763-354-2670 pat.overom@ics-builds.com
Lakes Country Alexandria, MN
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COVID Convos since August 7
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Lori Christensen 320-815-9544 lori.christensen@ics-builds.com
Northeast MN Duluth, MN
Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
Dave Bergeron 701-371-2948 dave.bergeron@ics-builds.com
Pennsylvania Media, PA
Phil Solomon 215-479-3543 phil.solomon@ics-builds.com
Northeast MN Duluth, MN
Expert panelists involved Jeff Schiltz 218-722-3060 jeff.schiltz@ics-builds.com
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North Central MN Park Rapids, MN
Natalie Hoff 218-591-2223 natalie.hoff@ics-builds.com
Central Minnesota Sauk Rapids, MN
Ready, Set, COVID Webinars
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Minnesota Superintendents
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Common goal to help others
Jason Splett 218-252-8025 jason.splett@ics-builds.com
Brett Baldry 612-817-9318 brett.baldry@ics-builds.com
South Dakota Sioux Falls, SD
Mike Hubbard 605-261-5616 michael.hubbard@ics-builds.com
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CONNECT WITH US! #BuildingStrongConnections
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