Construction on the new Blackwater Community School, a two-story structure on the Gila River Indian Community, located southeast of Phoenix, Ariz., was completed on August 31. The school serves pre-school, the Family And Child Education Program (F.A.C.E.), and a K-5 grade school.
The two-year-long build on the 7.43-acre campus was in conjunction with Rosendin, the nation’s largest employee-owned electrical contracting company, along with Gilbane Building Company and design partner Breckenridge Group.
The $25 million replacement campus incorporates culturally significant artwork throughout the two-story classroom building, media center, multipurpose building, and cafeteria. The Blackwater Community School Culture Committee provided the insight for the cultural art in partnership and with the approval of the Blackwater Community School Board. Rosendin’s team worked on lighting, playground areas, basketball courts, sports fields, and reading patios.
The Blackwater Community School serves two distinct tribes: the Akimel O’Otham, who can trace their ancestry to the Hohokam; and the Pee Posh, who come from Yuma ancestry.
“The Blackwater Community School is the heart of the community and celebrates the Gila River Indian Community’s heritage throughout the year,” said Jagdish (Jack) Sharma, Principal of Blackwater Community School. “Agriculture is at the heart of the Akimel O’Otham culture. Our educators take pride in our quality educational practices and the presences of tradition’s. This is the reason why traditional symbols of the culture are placed throughout the new campus.”
The Hohokam made contributions to the earliest forms of technology in the Southwest with the introduction of agriculture, irrigation canals, and extensive trade networks. Exterior and Internal murals throughout the campus depict those contributions with scenes of crop harvesting, desert landscapes, and petroglyphic symbols like the Man in the Maze, or Se:he. A shade structure has been built with metal shaped to look like cactus ribs, a material the Akimel O’Otham would use to build communal gathering space ramadas.
“There is a blue and pink mural in one of the hallways depicting the desert at night," said Sharma, speaking to the Blackwater Community School Culture Committee’s interpretation of the artwork. "Blackwater’s name comes from the standing water getting dark with night. In the glow of the moon, fish would appear. In the moon, there are two flute players, a reference to 'Man of the Maze.' There are murals like this all over campus that reflect our student’s culture enriching their overall learning experience,”
The school was originally built in 1939 and in 2018, received through other different funding sources, and Gila River Community Council, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), monies for a replacement school.
“Rosendin is proud to have built the new elementary school in the Gila River Indian Community to give students the very best environment to learn and grow,” said Ben Miller, Rosendin Division Manager. “The school will serve as the hub of the larger community and support family education and culture in the local area."
The two-year campus build required an aggressive phasing schedule to implement construction while school was in session. Parts of the project were scheduled over winter and summer breaks to mitigate disruption to students.
“Blackwater Community School will serve as a pivotal gathering and educational spot for children and adults on the Gila River Indian Community," said Jeff Keck, Senior Project Executive, Gilbane Building Company. Gilbane is proud to work with Rosendin and other trade partners to have safely built a new campus to support this community’s families, cultures and traditions,”
ABOUT ROSENDIN
Rosendin, headquartered in San Jose, Calif., is the largest employee-owned electrical contractor in the United States, employing over 7,000, with revenues of $2 billion. Established in 1919, Rosendin remains has built quality electrical and communications installations for morethan a century. More information at: www.rosendin.com
ABOUT GILBANE BUILDING COMPANY
Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services – from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build, and facility management services. Founded in 1870 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 45 office locations worldwide. More information at: www.gilbaneco.com.
Related Stories
| Dec 27, 2011
USGBC’s Center for Green Schools releases Best of Green Schools 2011
Recipient schools and regions from across the nation - from K-12 to higher education - were recognized for a variety of sustainable, cost-cutting measures, including energy conservation, record numbers of LEED certified buildings and collaborative platforms and policies to green U.S. school infrastructure.
| Dec 5, 2011
RJM Construction begins building Nova Classical Academy in St. Paul
As the general contractor, RJM is constructing the 94,000-sf building that will consolidate the St. Paul school’s two other locations.
| Sep 23, 2011
Under 40 Leadership Summit
Building Design+Construction’s Under 40 Leadership Summit takes place October 26-28, 2011 Hotel at the Monteleone in New Orleans. Discounted hotel rate deadline: October 2, 2011.
| Sep 12, 2011
LACCD’s $6 billion BIM connection
The Los Angeles Community College District requires every design-build team in its massive modernization program to use BIM, but what they do with their 3D data after construction is completed may be the most important change to business as usual.
| Jul 22, 2011
Five award-winning modular innovations
The Modular Building Institute's 2011 Awards of Distinction highlight fresh ideas in manufactured construction projects.
| May 18, 2011
Former Bronx railyard redeveloped as shared education campus
Four schools find strength in numbers at the new 2,310-student Mott Haven Campus in New York City. The schools—three high schools and a K-4 elementary school—coexist on the 6.5-acre South Bronx campus, which was once a railyard.
| May 18, 2011
Eco-friendly San Antonio school combines history and sustainability
The 113,000-sf Rolling Meadows Elementary School in San Antonio is the Judson Independent School District’s first sustainable facility, with green features such as vented roofs for rainwater collection and regionally sourced materials.
| May 18, 2011
New Reform Jewish Independent school opens outside Boston
The Rashi School, one of only 17 Reform Jewish independent schools in North American and Israel, opened a new $30 million facility on a 166-acre campus shared with the Hebrew SeniorLife community on the Charles River in Dedham, Mass.
| May 18, 2011
Addition provides new school for pre-K and special-needs kids outside Chicago
Perkins+Will, Chicago, designed the Early Learning Center, a $9 million, 37,000-sf addition to Barrington Middle School in Barrington, Ill., to create an easily accessible and safe learning environment for pre-kindergarten and special-needs students.
