Staff Reports | Business & Construction
Wespac Construction has completed the first phase of a new classroom facility at St. Thomas the Apostle School, 4510 N. 24th St., and has begun interior work on the next phase of the project, according to a press release.
The project includes a 76,652-square-foot, three-story building with a basement. The ground floor will open in August for students in kindergarten through second grade and includes classrooms, a lobby, student gathering areas and administrative space.
Future interior work in Phase II will add 57,393 square feet, including classrooms, a cafeteria and kitchen, library, music studio with stage, fine arts studio, STEM lab, science lab and additional student gathering areas.
The project is being delivered in partnership with St. Thomas the Apostle, a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, replacing older campus infrastructure with updated educational space.
“Projects like this are rewarding because you are building something that will serve students, families and the parish community for decades,” Gavin Creps, superintendent at Wespac Construction, said. “This was not a simple build. We were working on an active campus with unknown underground conditions dating back to the 1950s, but the team stayed focused, solved the issues in front of us and kept the school safe and operational throughout the process.”
Wespac worked with Hamilton Architecture as architect of record and partnered with WW Clyde, Wilson Electric, Riggs Concrete, Walters & Wolf and Pete King on the project.
The completed first floor includes 20,248 square feet of classrooms, an outdoor common area, a lobby and administrative offices.
Wespac has been selected to complete Phase II of the project, which began in April and is expected to take about 10 months. The phase will include build-outs of the lower level, second and third floors.
Planned additions include classrooms, restrooms, a library, music studio with stage, cafeteria and kitchen, art studio, STEM and science labs and centralized student gathering areas.
“The Wespac team has built an impeccable building. With every challenge thrown at them – whether the realities of a 75-year-old aging campus, worship, and school schedules that could not be compromised, complicating phasing through our fundraising efforts— every request that has been made, Wespac has answered,” Bri Cooney, parish manager at St. Thomas the Apostle, said. “Their approach to challenges is a masterclass in client dedication and professionalism. Gavin Creps, Ken Griswold, Chance Severns, and Glenn Leier, and now Kirk Jonovich with us for the next phase, have become part of our STA family.”
Mr. Creps said coordination with school leadership and staff has been important throughout construction.
“The St. Thomas leadership and staff have been great to work with and helpful in coordinating work on an occupied campus. The project has been very rewarding to see how excited the St. Thomas community, staff, and students are about their new school. We look forward to completing another successful phase of this much needed and anticipated addition to the St. Thomas the Apostle campus,” Mr. Creps said.
