Education Construction Management & School Facilities Assessment

College Community School District — Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The Board of Education of the College CSD, which serves rural communities and suburbs south of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, selected Carl A. Nelson & Company as its construction manager for a new, $42.5 million and 189,500 SF intermediate school for students in grades five and six. Construction of the new Prairie Creek Intermediate School began in May 2021, with completion anticipated in the summer of 2023.

Ground broken on new College CSD school building

Additional projects awarded by College CSD

Our performance for the College Community School District has earned CANCO two additional opportunities with the district:

• During the pre-construction phase of the replacement Prairie Creek Intermediate School building, district officials invited our team to negotiate a construction management agency contract for the renovation of the existing Prairie Creek building for use as a ninth-grade attendance center and home for the district's alternative school program. The $19.5 million renovation project is scheduled to begin construction in the summer of 2023, and conclude in the summer of 2025.
• Late in 2021, the school district engaged Carl A. Nelson & Company in a construction management agency contract in the role of Owner's Agent to get a previously underway but struggling renovation project at Prairie Crest Elementary School back on track. The project, undertaken as design-bid-build, had become bogged down and district officials asked the CANCO team to bring it back on track for a scheduled summer 2022 completion. 

Praise for our pre-construction services

“CANCO's involvement in the pre-construction process was invaluable to ensure we delivered on the vision of our intermediate school. Their knowledge of how design translates to the jobsite and the budget greatly assisted in value-engineering a building that maximizes opportunities for students while coming in at budget. Often in the design process, reductions are made that directly impact the student experience. In the process of designing our intermediate building, we were able to meet our budget with items that students and the public would not notice, but greatly impacted the budget. I have no doubt that we are getting a better building because of CANCO's involvement. They maintain a close relationship with us and our architects to ensure we deliver on our vision for our new Intermediate building.”

— Dr. Douglas Wheeler,
College CSD Superintendent

Work got underway in April 2022 on a $43 million construction project at Burlington High School in Burlington, Iowa, with Carl A. Nelson & Company in the lead as Construction Manager Agent. 

The initial undertaking involved asbestos abatement while the 53-year-old school was closed for spring break. Beginning in 2023, the bulk of the project will begin in earnest with upgrades to mechanical and other systems — most of which have not been touched since they were installed between 1966 when construction of the school began until it opened in 1969. 

Additional improvements include significant renovation of the school's classroom wing; relocation of the offices near the cafeteria and creation of a secure entry adjacent to the courtyard and student parking lot; enclosing an exterior connection to the Industrial Arts building; and the addition of a weight room near the gym. Construction is expected to be completed in 2024.

The project is being funded using a combination of the Burlington Community School District's share of Iowa SAVE program dollars for school infrastructure, and federal ESSER program dollars to support air quality improvements in school buildings. 

A master planning process initiated after CANCO was awarded a CMa contract in 2021 identified more than $90 million in facility improvements, including additions for an auditorium and second gym. With funding limited to less than half that amount, the Burlington School Board opted to focus on improving mechanical and technical systems, classroom layout, lighting and technology, accessibility and other necessities. 

CANCO was selected unanimously to lead the work at BHS following a qualifications-based selection process, with a contract that included assisting with architect selection.

The remodeling phase of the academic wing and other areas of Burlington High School, which began in the spring of 2023, will occur in seven phases and be complete in the summer of 2025. View the phasing plan in this video on our YouTube channel.

Work on the project was featured in the fall 2022 edition of our wibi newsletter. Read the e-edition.

Sioux Center CSD

As the Sioux Center Community School District prepared to open its brand new, $42 million, 180,000 square-foot high school building, Superintendent Gary McEldowney had only good things to say about Carl A. Nelson & Company and the value the firm brought to the project in its role as construction manager. 

The superintendent also offered a complimentary critique of the Carl A. Nelson & Company construction management project team. You can watch that video here.

Danville CSD

In this video, Dr. Thomas Ward, then the superintendent for the Danville CSD in Danville, Iowa, speaks about the district's $8.7 million, K-12 addition and remodeling project, and the value achieved by using Carl A. Nelson & Company as construction management agency. 

To learn more about the project, see this story in the news section of our website.

Shenandoah CSD

In this brief testimonial video, Shenandoah Community School District Superintendent Dr. Kerri Nelson discusses the benefits of engaging Carl A. Nelson & Company as construction manager on a project that resulted in a multi-million dollar renovation of Shenandoah High School. Visit our YouTube channel for the full-length video, which also addresses project history and our project team. 

Read more about the project, and see a collection of before-and-after photos, in CANCO News.