J.P. Cullen & Sons, Inc.

Scope Of Work

The Challenges

When the Hamilton School District first asked JP Cullen to help with their athletic facility renovation it was a $2.2 million project. When it morphed into a $4.8 million remodel and addition we knew we’d need every bit of our project management expertise to complete it between April and October.

In addition to the construction work itself, a great deal of planning was needed to avoid any inconvenience to students, parents and staff during construction. Along with the site itself, large portions of the campus would have to be managed — particularly an access road which would need to be rerouted to accommodate the addition.

The remodel would further require the replacement of 60 yards of turf for the facility’s indoor field, the sourcing and purchasing of which would be up to us.

 

The Solutions

Years of experience in school construction projects has taught us that planning is paramount when timelines are tight. A transportation plan would be needed for a temporary road that included student drop-off and pick-up points — all safely away from the construction site.

Regarding turf, we were able to take advantage of existing relationships with contractors on past turf replacement projects. We acted on the district’s behalf to secure the best possible pricing. To minimize cost, a mass RFP — one that bulked multiple field projects together — was issued.

For the construction itself we attended multiple planning and design meetings, and met with several different athletic facility metal fabricators in order to ensure we’d receive the right components on the site at the right time. To jump start construction in April we brought in mechanical, electical and plumbing (MEPs) contractors early.

 

The Results

When construction began in April, our team was fully coordinated and ready to go. Every stakeholder had a clear action plan and full understanding of their responsibilities for completing the project on time.

As designed, the extensive preplanning prevented disruptions during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up — both for buses and parents when school was in session.

Lastly, our purchasing efforts saved the district a full 10% off the turf cost.