The Our Lady of Loreto St. Joseph Ministry Center was a K-5 school built in 2011.  This project added 10 classrooms and a high-school-size gym, allowing the school to expand to grades pre-K-8. The $7.9-million, 28,000-sq-ft expansion is connected to the older facility by an impressive sky bridge, also added as part of the project.

The addition was planned to be part of the original building, but the economic downturn forced the project to be divided into two phases. The second stage needed to tie seamlessly into the first, looking and functioning as though it were built as part of the original facility.

The project started seven weeks late because of permitting delays. Even so, it finished two days ahead of the original schedule. Haselden Construction, the contractor, largely credits close collaboration and communication with subcontractors for the early completion. In addition, Haselden self-performed many components of the project, including surveying, demolition, erosion control, building concrete, rough carpentry and installation of door frames and hardware.

The project’s most challenging aspect was tying the sky bridge to the old school. Getting an exact alignment and ensuring a water-tight connection proved difficult.  Not only were there several planes of contact points, there also had to be room for expansion and contraction because both buildings needed to move independently.

Building at a school brings additional challenges for ensuring safety and security.  The contractor conducted extensive background checks through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for all personnel working on the project. Subcontractors were held to the same standards.

Routine safety at Haselden includes the company’s “I Got Your 6” program, in which craft workers are rewarded with commendations, and a “Safety Bucks” initiative. Merchandise certificates are awarded for workers’ identifying and correcting activities that could be carried out more safely.

Thanks to the time shaved from the schedule, the project also finished under budget. School officials used the extra money to purchase equipment such as projectors and audio-video gear as well as to improve the original school building.

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