Location:  Effingham, IL    |    Owner: Effingham CUSD #40    |    Architect:  FGM Architects, Inc.

Extensive junior high renovation projects elevate the coordination level needed to achieve project success. At the Effingham Junior High School, major renovations were required with zero space available to relocate the 650 enrolled students and staff during extended construction periods. Poettker’s Construction Management team consulted with the district to determine the best low-impact, yet achievable option.

This 112,000 SF project, completed over three summers, entailed the health/life/safety renovations to alleviate problems with:

Repairs affected every square inch of the 80-year-old facility, from the classrooms, band and music areas, science and art labs, cafeteria, kitchen, lobby, district office, gymnasium, auditorium, shop, and common use areas.

The old Unit 40 office was reconfigured into special education classrooms. A new secure entrance with a controlled vestibule was added, and a new breezeway converted into a classroom and ADA-compliant exterior gymnasium entrance.