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Wilmington, DE—
The new pitched roof, larger library, refinished gym floor and
20-foot lobby are nice changes, but it’s the air conditioning
that parents said they most appreciate in the newly renovated
Forwood
Elementary School.
Since Forward was constructed in 1962, the K-3
school in the
Brandywine
School District has gone without air conditioning and was in
need of many upgrades. “It’s nice and cool now,” Maureen
Buzdygon, mother of a first-grader at Forwood, said. “It used to
be a heat sink.” She commented that the kids seem to learn
better now, in the cooler environment. Additionally, the new
larger windows and repainted walls brighten the building and
have helped to improve the learning atmosphere for the children.
At the Grand Re-opening ceremony, Wednesday
evening, Oct. 19, the district welcomed the community as they
joined in celebrating the recent improvements at
Forward Elementary School. Guests were invited to tour their
like-new facility and share in the enthusiasm of staff and
students.
Nason Construction, headquartered in north Wilmington just
minutes from Forwood, was the general contractor overseeing the
54,000 s.f. renovation, which was one of the most extensive in
the district’s history. In addition to the HVAC upgrades, facility
users also appreciate the newly installed security and
monitoring system, which includes card-access readers on the
exterior doors and surveillance cameras to enhance safety.
Renovations consisted of new interior finishes throughout the
school as well as the conversion of the existing flat roof into
a pitch roof. Brenda Clay, who currently has two students
attending Forwood, said that her children like the student
lockers. “My kids think it’s so cool that they have their own
lockers now,” Clay said.
Forwood is one of many schools in the
Brandywine School District renovated under the previous
referendum. Last year, Nason Construction completed a 224,000
s.f. renovation for
Concord
High School.
Nason renovated two other elementary schools in
New
Castle County that also opened this school year –
Wilmington
Friends School and Colwyck Elementary School in Colonial School
District.
Like Forwood, Colwyck is a 40+ year-old facility that received
HVAC upgrades, new finishes throughout and a new roof, and
parking area.
The two phased
project for the K-5 Wilmington Friends
School involved renovations and additions totaling 30,360
s.f. Phase one included the construction of a new gymnasium and
multi-purpose building, classrooms, a kitchen and a computer
lab. Phase two involved the renovation of the existing two-story
school and an addition to house a 300-seat meeting hall and arts
wing.
Established in 1922,
Nason Construction, Inc. provides construction management,
design-build and general contracting services for commercial,
institutional, and government clients in Delaware, Maryland,
Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Headquartered in Wilmington, DE,
Nason Construction maintains regional offices in
Philadelphia,
PA, and Salisbury, MD. A few of their clients include Christiana
Care Health System, US Army Corps of Engineers, Diamond State
Port Corporation, Commerce Bank, and the University of Delaware.
For more information on Nason Construction, Inc. please contact
Julleanna Seely at
jseely@nasonconstruction.com or visit
www.nasonconstruction.com.
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