School board meets two construction management firms

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

With an eye on the future of education in Henning, the Henning School Board heard from two construction management firms during a special school board meeting last Monday night. 

The two firms were quite different in their make up, with one being described as more of a mom and pop operation, while the other was described as a bigger company that has completed building projects at schools across the region. The goal of the meeting was to narrow the search of a construction management company to take a closer look at the school and potential ways to enhance the educational opportunities in Henning.

The first company was the Apex group, which is based in Anoka, Minn. The group said they only work on a few school projects each year, which allows them to work closely with the ins and outs of the school projects.

The second company the school board heard from was ICS, which has done work at Henning School and many neighboring school districts in the past.

Both firms were complimentary of the overall structure of the school, but several items like tuck pointing, the main gym floor and HVAC systems would need to be addressed in the future. They also both suggested the school district complete an expansive facility study that will utilize input from the school district to determine what remodeling or construction projects would be a good fit for the school district. 

Following the presentations, Robert Brostrom said the school district has a good core of a building, but some things like tuck pointing and ventilation are items that have been kicked down the road for years. He said the two companies both suggested to take a step back and look at the school as a whole and see if there were ways to utilize the current space differently. For example, Brostrom compared the school to a home in which after 20 years some things need to be replaced or remodeled to meet a changing need. 

The school board said they hoped whatever construction management company they chose will help the school district come up with a plan for future projects that are needed at the school and potential ways to refresh the overall use of the school for today’s educational experience.

The school district will do reference checks on the two companies and determine which one, if either, it will work with in the future.