After successful completion of the district’s first bond, Huckabee secured another construction management opportunity with Los Alamitos USD to oversee the construction of their high school STEM building—an important milestone in a decade-long partnership that’s seen us manage every one of the district’s bond projects. The three-story structure includes standard classrooms, science and chemistry labs, CTE computer science labs, and a robotics and fabrication lab, as well as a media center, career centers, and administration, attendance, health, record storage, and counseling offices. The $67 million lease-leaseback project was completed in two phases, with Huckabee’s CM team leading the way in scheduling and coordination, making for a successful project that speaks volumes about the team’s abilities and client relations.
Given that construction took place on an active campus, the team had to cultivate relationships with the general contractor, district staff, and third parties to ensure that everyone remained aware of each other’s schedules and needs. When the existing administration and library building had to be demolished, we solicited proposals from moving companies and covered the logistics of juggling space for classrooms and administration while the work took place. We began planning for the effort months in advance, and because of the trust the district placed in our team’s work, they also entrusted us with a task normally assigned to the architect, that of coordinating furniture proposals and selections.
Work on the active campus also required the team to coordinate schedules for utility shutdowns, noise disturbances, and school events—no simple task, given that the campus stayed perpetually active from 6 AM to 10 PM. Huckabee always chose dates for these events well in advance, kept everyone aware of the schedule, and then stuck to it, ensuring that any potential interference with education was known and planned for. When the school schedule changed—on account of the track team making it to district finals, for example, thus extending their season—Huckabee let the contractor know, and reconfigured the construction schedule accordingly.
In the end, the PM/CM team’s work on Los Alamitos High School further solidified an already-strong relationship with the district, one that has persisted even amid changeover with business officers and facilities directors. Their trust in us has brought us back for projects time and again, making us an essential extension of their facilities team.
