This summer marked another significant milestone for Plante Moran Realpoint’s K-12 capital projects team. Working alongside more than 30 Michigan school districts, we provided owner’s representation services to oversee more than $500 million in construction projects that will benefit over 215,000 students, educators, and community members. This represents the largest volume of construction completed by our K-12 education clients and team in a single summer.
While students experience the finished product on the first day of school, these projects are years in the making. Long before summer break begins, districts, Plante Moran Realpoint staff, and project teams (including architects, construction managers, and a variety of additional consultants) develop plans, evaluate budgets, coordinate schedules, publicly bid construction, and prepare facilities for construction. Once school lets out in June, teams work against a highly compressed timeline to complete projects before students, faculty, and staff return in late August. The result is a seamless transition that allows learning to continue in new or renovated spaces from day one and for decades to come.
From new buildings and additions to infrastructure upgrades and renovations, every project shares a common goal: creating educational environments that support student success.
Summer project highlights
While the full list of completed projects is extensive, a few notable accomplishments from this summer include:
- Grand opening of the new Pre-K-8 Willow School in Lansing School District.
- Opening of the new Davis Aerospace Technical High School at Detroit City Airport.
- Completion of a new stadium facility for Caledonia Community Schools.
Many projects also kicked off this summer, including:
- Groundbreaking for the new University K-12 Academy for Southfield Public Schools.
- Groundbreaking for the new Amberly Elementary for Portage Public Schools.
- Dozens of new school construction projects in Flint, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, and across the State of Michigan.
A collective effort
Successfully delivering this volume of construction in a short summer window requires the dedication of many parties. We extend our gratitude to school board members, administrators, faculty, staff, community members, architects, construction managers, contractors, and tradespeople who worked together to bring these projects to life. Their commitment, along with the efforts of our K-12 capital projects team, helped make our schools ready to welcome students back this fall.
As Michigan’s leading K-12 owner’s representative, Plante Moran Realpoint is proud to help districts transform their facilities and bring long-term capital improvement plans to reality. We look forward to continuing to partner with school communities across the state as they invest in the future of education.
Whether your district is planning future capital improvements, developing a long-range facilities strategy, or preparing for an upcoming bond program, our K-12 capital projects team can help guide your project from planning through completion. Contact us to discuss your next project.
