New Middle School Building Progress

The new middle school is being built on previous agricultural land purchased by the District: North property edge – 10th Avenue North; South property edge – planned 5th Avenue North and 6th Avenue North connector; East property edge – North 32nd Street; and West property edge will be located on North 29th Street and the existing railroad tracks.

The school is positioned on the site to maximize current and future site development opportunities for the District. The building is being placed in an east-west orientation to maximize solar control and day lighting opportunities.

Currently, construction of the new middle school is running on time.  Roofing and the full brinck on the exterior facade are nearly complete.  Windows continue to be installed.  Interior block nears completion throughout the building, with the exception of the auditorium.  Concrete floors are complete with the exception of the auditorium and entry.  Steps are currently being poured in the auditorium.  Mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-ins are almost complete on the first and second levels of buidlings A and B as drywall continues.  The Connector Road is complete and ready for turn over to the city.  Contractors for the project are Construction Services, Inc. of Des Moines. The building was designed by RDG Planning and Design also of Des Moines.

The new facility represents a consolidation of the two existing middle schools: Fair Oaks Middle School (grades 5 and 6) and Phillips Middle School (grades 7 and 8). The new school building will be able to accommodate 1,000 students in grades 5 – 8. It is 173,271 gross square feet on two floors, plus a 20,061 gross square feet Auditorium. 

The school building will be composed of two wings, each being two stories tall. The east wing will serve as the Academic wing, while the west will be the community or activity wing. The building lobby, administrative, and student offices will be located in the center of the school, acting as a “hinge” in the center of the floor plan. This area will also be the common area of entry from the north and south sides of the building.  

The new middle school is designed to provide our students with a 21^st century learning environment that allows them to excel academically in a top notch, caring atmosphere. The facility will contain special needs classrooms, a library, exploratory labs, conventional classrooms, science labs, and academic “learning communities” that allow for project learning, computers, and collaboration.