Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Construction to Begin on Elkhorn Middle School

Prairie Construction is excited to begin construction on the new Elkhorn Middle School #5 project!

Construction on the $29 million-dollar project will begin this summer and the school will be open for students in the Fall of 2021.

The new middle school will be located near 183rd & Ida St. and will accommodate the growing population of students in the Elkhorn area. Elkhorn Public Schools has quickly grown to the 5th largest district in the state.

The Prairie Construction team is looking forward to working with the Elkhorn Public School District and the architects at Jackson and Jackson Associates on this project.

 

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Madison Campus Project in Council Bluffs

One of our current projects is a example of thinking outside the box – or in this case, the box store.

Much-needed updates and improvements were approved for both Kirn and Wilson Middle Schools in Council Bluffs, and the school district needed a solution to house students during the renovations.

While it doesn’t resemble a traditional school, it turns out the empty Target store at the Mall of the Bluffs was a good solution. Prairie Construction has been renovating the former Target store to provide temporary education space for the middle schools.

The space is referred to as the Madison Campus and includes 49 classrooms, dining area, media room, multi-purpose spaces, music and art rooms, restrooms, office spaces and emergency exits.

The Madison Campus project is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2019/20 school year when students from Kirn Middle School will move in while their building is renovated. Wilson Middle School students will occupy the building during the 2020/21 school year. Once completed, the space will look like a school, not a retail space.

You can learn more about the project here – and visit our website this summer for photos of the completed project!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Facilities Management Project at Creighton University

We know a lot goes into deciding on the right contractor for a project, and every time we start a new project, we consider the trust the client has put in our team.

That was especially true as we made plans to start the new Facilities Management Office for the facilities crew at Creighton. We have done several projects on the Creighton campus, and we felt especially honored to be trusted to complete a project for this campus team.

We knew from the beginning that this project had many tight deadlines, but in our experience with previous Creighton projects (LINK), we have found great partners on every project. This project was no exception. Communication was great, everyone was easy to work with and we appreciated the team approach from everyone involved with the project.

The new Facilities Management Office had been housed in the Jelinek building located near 18th St. and Burt St. Plans for the project include office space and equipment, completed through involved four phases, the third of which we just completed at the end of February. The new facility is located at 20th & Izard St. in the former 3E and is part of the northward expansion that Creighton has been undergoing in recent years.

The fourth and final phase is underway and should be completed in the coming weeks. It involves finish carpentry and welding, and the completion of the building and grounds. The new facility is approximately 34,000 square feet.

Prairie Construction takes a great deal of pride to be trusted again for a project on the Creighton University campus. We would like to congratulate the facilities crew on your new space – we are proud to take a role in the university’s continued growth and expansion, and we look forward to more projects on the campus!

 

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Skutt Catholic High School Project Dedicated

In May 2018 we told you about a project that Prairie Construction was starting at Skutt Catholic High School.

As the 2017/18 school year wrapped up, we started a 3500 square foot project that included a secure main school entrance and vestibule, an expanded lobby area, and additional office space.

The students, faculty and staff of Skutt Catholic High School enjoyed the new space for the first semester of the 2018/19, and the Ken and Beverley Pohlman Welcoming Lobby, was officially dedicated on February 4, 2019.

Prairie Construction was honored to be part of this special project.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Omaha Fire Station #43

Last summer, a fire started at station #43 of the Omaha Fire Department. It may seem ironic, but it goes to show that anyone is susceptible to an accidental fire – even firefighters. The fire started in the kitchen while most of the fire crew was out on an emergency, and it caused significant damage to the kitchen and living quarters of the station. Because of work we have done on previous projects, the City of Omaha contacted Prairie Construction for the immediate need of gutting the electrical system to make the station safe.

After ensuring the structure was safe, we began phase 1 of the remodel of station #43. This involved constructing temporary sleeping quarters in the apparatus bay so normal operations could resume from the station. The firefighters were fortunate to find temporary housing at the Omaha Police Department locate right behind the fire station during this phase of the project.

Phase 2, which is expected to be completed in early spring, involves a remodel of the living quarters. The original design of the station included open air sleeping quarters, and individual sleeping quarters will be incorporated into the remodel, as well as updated living and kitchen area.

We appreciate the opportunity to give back to the Omaha Fire Department and the firefighters who help our community every day. Check back for an update when this project is completed!

 

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Creighton University Rigge Science Building Project

Creighton alum and former professor George Haddix and his wife gave a $10 million to Creighton University last month.  The gift is earmarked academic programs, faculty development, laboratories, student opportunities and advising.

Haddix earned a master’s degree in math from Creighton and was a professor at the university from 1969-1971. He has donated to other schools he attended, including to STEM programs at UNO.

Prairie Construction was honored to be chosen for the first phase of this esteemed project. Immediately after the 2017/18 school year finished in May, we began demolition in the Rigge Science Building. This project kept us busy throughout the summer and we completed in August, right before the 2018/19 school year started.

The project included demolition of the first floor and a remodel of the corridor and four classrooms, as well as a remodel of labs on the second and fourth floors. The improvements will directly impact STEM programming for undergraduate and graduate students.

Prairie Construction was involved in other recent projects on Creighton University’s campus, including a multi-phase project in the Bio Information Center (BIC) for the occupational therapy study space and the addition of study carrels, and a renovation of the Old Gym. We value Creighton’s continued trust in Prairie Construction, and we look forward to partnering with them on additional projects in the future!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Company News, Current Projects

On Track for Gretna Public Works Project – Despite the Rainfall

When it comes to meeting construction deadlines there are many contributing factors – sub contractors, budget, adjustments to the original plans, and weather – and the hardest to account for is weather.

Construction companies need to get creative in order to meet deadlines when we’ve had as much rainfall as we have the last few weeks in Omaha.

Several weeks ago we told you progress on the Gretna Public Works facility. By mid-August, the foundation and paving were being laid, and the steel erection had begun. Since then, we have laid the foundation, erected the building and completed the paving and retaining walls.

Rainfall and new concrete are a hard mix, but we have managed to take advantage of dry days – regardless of when they call – to keep the project on track to meet our deadlines. Our teams have been long hours on dry days, even when they fall on weekends.

We hope you will continue to check back on the progress of this project!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Gretna Public Works Facility Update

Earlier this year we were excited to learn that we were awarded the contract for the brand new Gretna Public Works facility.

We broke ground on the project located at 20090 Husker Drive, north of the water tower and fire station in Gretna and have been busy with the foundation, paving and steel erection at the facility.

The 38,000 square foot facility will allow the City of Gretna to consolidate all Public Works vehicles and equipment in one facility.

Here are some images of the progress – check back for more updates!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Company News, Current Projects

Bennington Storage Facility

We recently completed the construction of a new storage facility in Bennington, NE for Lock Box Storage. The 60,000 square-foot climate-controlled building includes a variety of sizes of storage units inside, as well as outdoor storage space.

Self-storage is a rapidly growing industry in the US. According to The SpareFoot Storage Beat, there are more than 2.3 billion square feet of rentable self-storage space in the United States. That’s an average of 7.06 square feet of self-storage space for every American. The Prairie Construction team has been involved with the construction of numerous storage facilities for McGregor Interests in the Omaha and Des Moines areas, and we are proud of the quality construction of each of them.

Every project we complete has unique requirements and specifications. Climate control is crucial with storage units and the team at Prairie Construction has the experience and expertise to give you peace of mind that our facilities are safe and reliable. Learn more about the Bennington Lock Box storage facility here.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Excel Physical Therapy Expansion

We love when local companies call on us to help them expand their business. We were happy to be involved with a project that allowed Excel Physical Therapy to expand into the Elkhorn area.

The expansion project included the completion of a multi-tenant flex building that would house physical therapy clinic space for Excel, and eventually other businesses.

We completed the project within the projected six-month timeframe, allowing Excel to meet the needs of their clients in a new market. The Prairie Construction team can help fulfill your expansion needs on time and within budget – call us today!