Boca Ciega High School New Campus Nears Completion
In 2008, APG celebrated an exciting milestone when we were awarded the Boca Ciega High School contract with Ajax Building Corporation, which included the largest structured cabling project in our history. Now, over three years later, the project is nearing completion and many are taking notice. During the recent grand opening celebration, officials, community members and students were wowed by the new 103,000-square-foot administration, media center, cafeteria and classroom building - the latest completed portion of this complex multi-phased venture. The new state-of-the-art facility offers a spacious, open environment for learning, with a media center nearly 10 times larger than the two jam-packed classrooms it replaced and a cafeteria that has quadrupled in size.
Once complete in early 2012, the entire facility will consist of 360,000 square feet of new and remodeled space and will have required nearly 90,000 APG man-hours. Included in the full scope of work are a brand new three story classroom building and a completely renovated auditorium, music building and gym that were finished a few years ago. Looking back, Project Superintendent Ralph Cordasco remembers how difficult that particular portion of the project was. "The summer of 2009 was the most challenging time of the project. We had three renovations and a three story new classroom building under construction at the same time. The renovation of the auditorium, music building and gym all had to be completed before school started in August."
Another significant challenge on the Boca Ciega project was the requirement to keep the school fully functional during construction so that students and staff could remain on campus. To accomplish this, the job was phased over approximately four years while replacement buildings were constructed and old buildings were renovated or demolished. For APG, this meant having to store three years worth of fixtures, gear, and miscellaneous material on site. We were also tasked with having to maintain fire alarm, security, and voice/data systems to the existing campus during construction and demolition. APG solved this problem by proposing the use of a temporary metal building to house the equipment needed for running these systems. Despite these challenges, Ralph still remembers how excited he was to be assigned to this job because he, his wife and his son all graduated from the school affectionately referred to as "Bogie".
Those who have seen the finished buildings are not only impressed by the new space, but also by the exceptional job of our APG team. Following an inspection of the voice/data portion, the supervisor of networking and telecommunications for Pinellas County Schools was very pleased and quick to give praise for the beautiful work of our skilled technicians. One of the engineers said that APG Voice/Data had set the standard for the entire county and planned to take photos of our work to serve as a specification for upcoming school projects. This was not the first time an APG structured cabling project left others in awe, and it definitely won't be the last!
Boca Ciega High School has been providing education to Pinellas County students since the early 1950s. Now, with a brand new campus, it is sure to remain a valuable landmark in the community for years to come. So many of our employees, including our entire Voice/Data Division, helped bring this project to its successful completion, leaving behind a beautiful example of the excellent work APG consistently provides.
