Students from Whiteside Elementary School in Belleville, Illinois, left their marks on the steel beam that will complete the structure of the school’s new 13,550-square-foot addition. Groups of students had messy fun dipping their hands in paint, adding colorful handprints to the eight-foot beam. S. M. Wilson & Co., the project’s construction manager at risk, has placed the beam to complete the building’s framework. The project will then shift to masonry work to add walls and flooring, as well as installation of the plumbing and electrical systems.
“This construction project will create a space for our youngest learners that is inclusive and provides a secure learning environment. We are excited about our partnership with S. M. Wilson and what they will create for students and our community,” noted Mark Heuring, Whiteside School District #115 superintendent.
Images Courtesy of: Whiteside School
Parents, students, staff and community members gathered in August to celebrate the start of the transformative construction project. The new addition will bring the school’s early childhood and pre-kindergarten programs, now held in mobile classrooms, into the main building. The project adds six classrooms, a dedicated therapy and intervention services room, and restrooms. Outside the school, improvements include a new playground, secured entrances and a reconfigured parking lot and drive lanes.
“As a dad of four, I’m always telling my own kids to keep their coloring on the paper instead of drawing on the walls of our house. So, it’s awesome to think about the core memories that these kids will have when they ‘made a mess’ and left their hand prints behind on the building that will remain long after they graduate from the district,” said S. M. Wilson Project Manager Adam Schmidt.
S. M. Wilson is partnering with Whiteside School District #115 on several other bond improvement projects, made possible by the voter-approved $10.6M referendum in 2024. FGM Architects is the design partner.
ABOUT S. M. WILSON & CO.
S. M. Wilson is a full-service construction management, design/build, and general contracting firm with offices in St. Louis, MO, and Edwardsville, IL. Founded in 1921,
S. M. Wilson is a team of dedicated professionals committed to exceeding client expectations. As a 100% employee-owned company, we take pride in our people-first approach and our position as one of the leading construction management firms in the Midwest.
View the original article and our Inspiration here
Leave a Reply