Shaping educational futures in Connecticut.
Colliers Project Leaders provided project management services for many South Windsor Public School projects as part of the District’s 10-year, three-phase Master Plan. During the Pre-Referendum part of Phase II of the Master Plan, Colliers provided services including budget and schedule development, consultant coordination, educational specification coordination, and due diligence.
In addition, Colliers was part of the project team to educate the community on the technical details of the project. Colliers presented the project to the various Town Boards as well as several Town Public Information Sessions. The Town of South Windsor overwhelmingly passed the referendum by a 4 to 1 margin to construct two new elementary schools.
Colliers assisted the District in the evaluation of the Eli Terry Elementary School and Philip R. Smith Elementary School to determine if the District needed to move forward with the construction of new elementary schools, renovate-as-new, or extension and alteration. By working with the State of Connecticut, Office of School Construction Grants & Review, Colliers positioned South Windsor to minimize their risks in the ever-changing environment in Connecticut.
Projects that Colliers served as owner’s project manager for South Windsor Public Schools include:
Eli Terry Elementary School: The school, which was built in 1965, was replaced with a new structure on the existing site while the school remained in operation. The new school houses grades K-5 and was designed for a 437 student enrollment with a building area of 66,586 square feet. The original school building was vacated, abated, and demolished after the new school was completed and occupied. The project also allowed for the construction of playgrounds and replacement ball fields. The project was completed in the Summer of 2021.
Phillip R. Smith Elementary School: The school, which was originally constructed in 1959, was replaced with a new structure on the existing site. The school operations were moved to the old Orchard Hill Elementary School. The new school houses grades K-5 and was designed for a 390 student enrollment with a building area of 60,700 square feet. In addition, the project included a playground which was designed using a more universal approach, making it fully accessible and inclusive to the general population. The project was completed in the Summer of 2021
Pleasant Valley Elementary: This project was Phase III of the South Windsor Public Schools’ 10-Year Elementary Schools Master Plan and included a new two-story, 101,288 gsf building with two new entrances and a wing specifically to serve students with special needs enrolled in certain programs. The project was completed in the Summer of 2023.
Orchard Hill Elementary: Construction of the new 75,600 gsf Orchard Hill Elementary School was completed in 2017. The Pre-K facility serves 564 students. The included the construction of the new school, which occurred on site while the original building remained standing. Once the new school opened, the former Orchard Hill was converted for use as “swing space” for other schools during their construction phases. The project also included several parking lots, a separate bus circulation loop, two playgrounds, a multi-purpose field, a connector road, and a sanitary sewer main extension.
Synthetic Turf and Track: Colliers provided project management services for the bidding, construction, and closeout phases of the South Windsor Public Schools’ synthetic turf and track project. As project manager, Colliers was responsible for reviewing bid packages, reviewing the contractor’s construction schedule, schedules of values, construction requisitions, and change orders. In addition, Colliers was responsible for visiting the construction site weekly and attending construction meetings.
