Eyesore no more: People come together to expand a much-needed daycare center

The I CAN Child Care & Learning Center, Hampton, Va., is proof that good things come in small, economical packages. This 9,000-sf facility, built at a cost of $206/sf by Mark Turner Construction, a minority-owned CM firm, provides much-needed daycare primarily to families of local military personnel and shipyard workers.

Recognizing that I CAN had outgrown its previous facility located in a strip mall, the owners, a minority-run business, secured a long-abandoned site once used for vehicle auctions.

Two problems quickly emerged: high concentrations of arsenic in the soil, and stormwater runoff into nearby wetlands and neighboring properties.

The usual approach to remediating tainted soil would have been excavation and removal. To hold down costs, the project team elected to encapsulate the infected soil with additional landscaping and hardscape. As for the runoff problem, the team worked with city officials to reconfigure the site layout and convert large portions of impervious coverage into pervious area.

The new facility has eight classrooms with built-in AV and security systems, a library, office space, a kitchen, a staff break room, and play areas. Doors open at 6:30 a.m. to meet the needs of local military and shipbuilding families.

Cost-efficient finishes, such as seal concrete in the kitchen, kept the project on budget, but not at the cost of quality. Luxury vinyl tile, level 5 gypsum wallboard, solid surface countertops, vibrant artwork, energy-efficient windows and appliances, high-SEER HVAC, and water-saving plumbing fixtures speak to the quality of materials and construction.

The center serves children ages six weeks to five years. Since opening last fall, I CAN’s enrollment has gone up, and more teachers have been hired.+

Building Team — Submitting firm Mark Turner Construction (CM), Owner I CAN Child Care & Learning Center, Architect PMA, Inc., SE Speight, Marshall & Francis, MEP ENGINEER Hickman Ambrose, Inc.

General information — Size 9,000 sf, Construction cost $1.85 million, Construction time March 2018 to September 2018, Delivery method CM at risk

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