McCarthy Begins Construction on Two Projects for Glendale Union High School District

July 10, 2012 - PRLog -- McCarthy Building Companies recently began construction on a phase I project to replace classroom buildings at Greenway and Thunderbird high schools in the Glendale Union High School District (GUHSD). The $14.6 million contract funds demolition and new construction on both campuses.

These projects were the result of an $80 million bond election that was passed by voters in 2011. Funds from the bond are being used for renovations and repair of existing school buildings, new construction and supplying school buildings with furniture, equipment and technology.

McCarthy began work on both campuses in March and demolished old buildings prior to starting construction on the new, two-story classroom buildings, which are being built using concrete tilt-wall construction. This construction method enables both projects to be fast-tracked for completion.

“Our Education Services team really shines when we’re able to put our unique scheduling expertise to the test,” said Justin Kelton, Vice President of Operations for the Education Services at McCarthy Building Companies. “Our crews will be working two eight-hour shifts all summer long in order to complete these buildings prior to the start of school in August.”

Neil Rogers, Administrator of Facilities for GUHSD, added, “McCarthy is changing the way schools are built in Arizona. Their ability to self-perform and complete projects in half the time utilizing two shifts without sacrificing safety, quality or budget gives our District a tremendous amount of flexibility that allows us to concentrate on the students, staff and the community.”

The Greenway High School building, located at 3930 W. Greenway Road in Phoenix, represents 42,000 square feet of general classroom space. A time-lapse view on the school’s website shows the raising of the walls and progress at the campus through May: http://www.onsiteview.com/cams/supersized/slideshow.php?x....

The Thunderbird High School building, located at 1750 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix, totals 60,000 square feet of general classroom space as well as science labs and rooms for special education programs.

“In order to promote healthier, safer campuses, older buildings at Greenway High and Thunderbird High have been torn down to make way for modern classrooms, which will be open to our students this fall,” said Kim Mesquita, Administrator of Community Relations for GUHSD. “The bulk of the construction is occurring over the summer when class is not in session. The safety and education of our students are our top priorities.”

Orcutt/Winslow is the architect on both projects. Major subcontractors include JFK Electric, Baker Concrete and Schuff Steel. McCarthy Mechanical is working on the Greenway High project and Midstate Mechanical is working on the Thunderbird High project.

About McCarthy Building Companies
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the nation’s 8th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2012). The firm has been building in the education market for more than 50 years. Committed to the construction of high-performance buildings, the company has managed construction or built hundreds of schools in virtually every K–12 school district in Arizona as well as 200 higher-education projects on more than 50 college campuses.  The McCarthy Southwest Division is based in Tempe, Ariz. McCarthy also has offices in Newport Beach, San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Las Vegas; Albuquerque; Dallas and Houston; St. Louis and Atlanta.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee-owned. More information about the company is available at www.mccarthy.com.