Administrators, staff, and members of the board of trustees for the Crawfordsville Community School Corp. gathered Wednesday with project partners to break ground on the district’s new administration building.
The one-story, brick building will be located on the south side of the athletic parking lot at Crawfordsville High School. The 6,200 square foot building will provide office space for the superintendent, assistant superintendent, curriculum director, food service director, accounting and payroll, the corporation treasurer and receptionist. Additionally, the building includes a lobby, board room, large conference room and storage space.
Kettelhut Construction of Lafayette was awarded the contract for the $3.8 million project.
“From this site, future boards and administration will cast the vision, plan the mission, and carry out the duty of providing each student in our community with a foundation for a successful future as a responsible, productive citizen in a global society,” said CCSC Superintendent Rex Ryker.
Ryker said it was board president Steve McLaughlin who had the initial vision for the building in early 2020. The project came to fruition with the leadership and direction of former board member Ellen Ball and current board members Susan Albrecht, Kathy Brown, Kent Minnette, and Monte Thompson.
“We have worked with great partners at CSO Architects to plan and design the building, Baker Tilley to manage the tax rate and secure funding, and Ice Miller to ensure we met all legal requirements for the entire project,” Ryker said. “We are grateful to partner with Kettelhut Construction to go from vision to reality. Kettelhut Construction has demonstrated the ability to thoughtfully and effectively provide construction in our school environment. All of these partners have been generous in sharing their talents and resources.”
Ryker and other members of the administrative team are excited to soon leave the “head shack” at 1000 Fairview Ave.
Steve McLaughlin, school board president and 1979 CHS graduate, said the current administration building was never intended to be used as long as it has.
“This project, when complete, will replace the current administration building that has been in use since the 1960’s,” he said. “The current structure was never meant to have this long of life, and it shows it. Our new building will provide the staff with the tools needed to lead our school corporation for generations of future students.”
In McLaughlin’s time on the board, the district has done extensive work on the elementary buildings, built a new middle school and completed upgrades to the high school. The new administration building project is the final piece of the puzzle.
Conversations about building a new administration office began several years ago, and several options were explored, including sites in the downtown area as well as the former county office building property on South Boulevard that will soon become a new childcare center.
“The final decision to locate on the campus of the high school was made because we had the necessary land to build for the future,” McLaughlin said. “Thanks in part to former Superintendent Dr. C. Merrill Daily who had the vision to purchase this property long before the high school was built here.”
McLaughlin learned early on in his tenure on the school board that schools never retire.
“We must constantly be aware that what we do today will impact the quality of education we can provide to our students long into the future,” he said. “With the completion of this project the puzzle is now complete.”
Kettelhut is tasked with completing the new building in 12 months.
“Having successfully completed two previous projects at the high school working with Dr. Ryker, the school faculty, school staff, and CSO Architects, we know the school corporation has a great team assembled that will take pride in delivering a well-designed and well-built building that will serve the students of the community well for many years to come,” said Greg Helms, Kettelhut senior project manager.
