Construction of the new $89 million Lindbergh High School was slightly delayed due to St. Louis County’s COVID-19 shutdown, but it kicked off with a bang June 23 with the demolition of the Math Building known to generations of students.
That was followed by the Board of Education approving a $65 million bid from BSI last week for Phase 2, the bulk of the work on the new school.
The last two weeks mark the most significant steps yet for the new Lindbergh High, which will
be built on the same site along South Lindbergh Boulevard with a mix of both old and new buildings. The Math Building was originally supposed to come down in March, but permits were delayed at the county due to the coronavirus shutdown.
The project is funded by a $105 million bond issue voters approved in April 2019, Proposition R, and is still on track to finish in August 2023, with students moving to the new digs in January 2023.
“Since Day 1 of my tenure here as superintendent we’ve been planning this work, so any time … you can start to take action and actually see progress, it’s an exciting day. It was a very exciting day when the Math Building started to come down,” Lake said.
The district had to use social media to warn some overzealous alumni to keep away from the active construction site when some came by to get bricks from the Math Building.
“I get it, it’s exciting, lots of history in that building,” Lake said, but he asks that the public stay away from the site.
It’s just another sign of the enthusiasm around the new high school, Lake said.
More than 77 percent of voters cast ballots in favor of Prop R, which required 57.15 percent for approval.
“I just want to thank our community again, any time I can say thank you to them for providing this awesome and amazing opportunity for us to develop a 21st-century learning environment for our kids,” Lake said. “It’s something to be proud of.”
The board voted unanimously June 30 to move forward with the second phase of the Lindbergh High School construction project, which is the largest part of the project and includes construction of the new state-of-the art, flexible learning space that will connect existing facilities, in addition to extensive renovations and abatement across the campus. Board member Cathy Carlock Lorenz was absent.
Four prequalified general contractors responded, and BSI Constructors Inc. was the lowest responsible bidder that submitted a bid in accordance with the specifications furnished by the district, in the amount of $65,747,000. BSI had the second-lowest bid, but was the only bidder that met all bid specifications.
The $65.7 million bid came in lower than the $68 million district officials had projected, Lake said.
LHS construction is taking place in three phases. Phase 1 is beginning now and includes construction of a central utility building, demolition of the Math Building and high-school main office, renovations to Gym 3, installation of utilities, additional exterior site improvements and asbestos abatement.
Although the county delays have moved construction back by a few months, Lake said that construction is back on track and everything scheduled to be done this summer will finish by Aug. 24, the start of school.
The other major aspect of Prop R, new secure vestibules at all the elementary and middle schools, actually was accelerated this summer since students were out of schools earlier. The new entryways at Crestwood Elementary and Sperreng Middle School are ahead of schedule.
Moving out of Phase 1 to Phase 2, “then we’ll get into a lot of dirt moving,” Lake said.
Once BSI mobilizes and sets up the construction site and the district receives the permits back from the county, Phase 2 will include construction of a new 3-story structure that will connect existing buildings on the high-school campus, in addition to renovation and remodeling work in existing buildings. Phase 2 work is scheduled for completion in January 2023, when students will be able to move into the new school even as construction finishes up around them.
Phase 3 is scheduled to begin in January 2023 and will include demolition of the current auditorium and 300s/400s building, and resurfacing and reconfiguration of on-campus parking areas.
