SEEKONK, MASS. — MassDevelopment has provided $11 million in tax-exempt bond financing to The Wheeler School in Seekonk, located outside Providence in southern Massachusetts. The college preparatory day school will use the proceeds to build a new pool, preschool facility and make other improvements to the campus. Construction is expected to begin in the coming weeks and to be complete by 2025. Berkshire Bank purchased the bond.
CHASKA, MINN. — Kraus-Anderson (KA) has begun a $24 million renovation of Chaska Middle School West located at 140 Engler Blvd. in Chaska, a southwest suburb of Minneapolis. Designed by Wold Architects and Engineers, the project will be constructed during the summer months of 2024 and 2025. The overall 145,000-square-foot renovation consists of mechanical and electrical upgrades, interior improvements and updated finishes throughout the entire school building. Renovations will be made to the gymnasium, classrooms, locker rooms, bathrooms, music spaces and other student areas. KA will also replace the parking lot and improve the existing loading dock area. Completion is slated for fall 2025.
MassDevelopment Provides $11M Bond Financing for Student Housing Project in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
FITCHBURG, MASS. — MassDevelopment has provided $11 million in tax-exempt bond financing for a student housing project in Fitchburg, about 55 miles west of Boston. The project will add a two-story building to the campus of Applewild School, a private day and boarding school, that will house 20 bedrooms for 40 students and six faculty apartments. Construction is underway and expected to be complete before the start of the fall 2024 semester. Proceeds will also be used to fund renovations to the preschool and toddler facilities in the Marshall Building. Enterprise Bank purchased the bond.
NORTHLAKE, TEXAS — The Dallas Stars professional hockey team will develop a 225,000-square-foot multi-sport training facility in Northlake, located north of Fort Worth. According to D Magazine, the project is valued at $45 million. Scheduled to open in 2025, the facility will feature two National Hockey League (NHL) regulation sheets of ice and eight basketball courts that can be converted to 16 volleyball courts. Lee Lewis Construction Inc. is the general contractor for the project, which will be the third of its kind for the Stars, joining facilities in Farmers Branch and Lewisville, Texas.
International Dark Sky Discovery Center Breaks Ground on $25M Observatory in Fountain Hills, Arizona
FOUNTAIN HILLS, ARIZ. — International Dark Sky Discovery Center (IDSDC) has broken ground on its new observatory in Fountain Hills, approximately 30 miles northeast of Phoenix. SWABACK Architects + Planners designed the $25 million project, which McCarthy Building Cos. is constructing. The 23,000-square-foot facility will encompass a 27.5-inch PlaneWave telescope housed within a 20.5-foot domed observatory, and a 65-seat planetarium. The center will also offer a 150-capacity multipurpose auditorium and a “Night Sky Experience” exhibit space equipped with interactive educational and historical components. IDSDC will offer activities, educational opportunities and events for all ages, primarily serving the K-12 communities in Arizona. With the first research-grade telescope in the greater Phoenix area, the IDSDC will allow Valley residents to view parts of the sky that have become hidden due to growing light pollution.
KILLEEN, TEXAS — Austin-based Hoar Construction has broken ground on a 43,974-square-foot civic building in the Central Texas city of Killeen. The site is located on the Texas A&M University — Central Texas campus, and the building will house the consolidated operations of various utility facilities as well as the campus police force. Completion is slated for next summer.
ISLANDIA, N.Y. — Forte Construction, a locally based general contractor that specializes in public works projects, has opened its new corporate headquarters facility in the Long Island community of Islandia. The company purchased the 30,000-square-foot, three-story building at 1770 Motor Parkway in 2021 as part of a planned relocation and expansion from an 8,000-square-foot facility in Holbrook. The new facility supports about 300 employees between Forte and its sister companies, TAP Electric and BR Construction.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — The Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has opened its $120 million home field, CPKC Stadium. The venue, which is located in the Berkeley Riverfront area along the Missouri River and seats 11,500 people, is the first soccer stadium in the world to be designed and built exclusively for women, according to the project team. Sports Business Journal reports the development of the stadium was privately financed by the team, although ownership eventually requested $6 million in state-issued tax credits to offset an escalated construction budget, according to the Kansas City Star. In April 2023, the Current announced that Canadian Pacific Kansas City, a railway operator whose U.S headquarters is located in Kansas City, had acquired the naming rights to the stadium as part of a 10-year deal. A host of Kansas City-based firms contributed to the design and delivery of the stadium, and many of these companies have design, engineering and construction teams that are led by women. They include: “Our vision was to create a player-first experience while equally prioritizing fans,” say Angie and Chris Long, founders and co-owners of the Kansas City Current. “Not only did our Kansas City-based …
NEW YORK CITY — Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School will open a 51,498-square-foot high school facility within a luxury condo building at 217 N. 10th St. in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn. The lease term is 35 years. The charter school plans to relocate from 82 Lewis Ave. and occupy three of the building’s six floors in advance of the fall 2024 semester. Josh Berger of Norman Bobrow & Co. represented the school in the lease negotiations. Jason Frazier and Jesse de la Rama of CBRE represented the landlord, Largo Development.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Hoar Construction has topped out the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medicine’s new $128 million Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility in downtown Birmingham. Located along 7th Avenue South, the building will total 346,000 square feet across 11 stories. In addition to 136 patient beds, the facility will comprise two levels of administration, conferencing and mechanical space and four floors of parking. Construction, which began in May 2022, is scheduled for completion in early 2025.