Charleston, S.C. – Sept. 6, 2017 – After successfully completing several high-priority school facility updates and new schools, Charleston County School District (CCSD) and Cumming, an international project management and cost consulting firm, have turned the schools back over to the students and staff just in time for the start of the 2017-2018 year.

“It was our job to make sure that all of the scheduled modernization and renovation projects, as well as opening a new 900 student elementary school; were successfully completed and that the facilities were ready for students by the first day of school,” said Rick Holt, Vice President at Cumming. “The CCSD facility and technology improvements addressed this summer reinforce the District’s high standards for student education and their learning environments.”

Cumming addressed several challenges during the construction and renovation of these schools, from overcoming delays due to above normal rainfall, to dealing with the shortage of a local work force in order to deliver the schools within the short timeline. During this past summer break, 38 schools received improvements including, repainting, drop-off and parking upgrades, HVAC replacement, fire alarm replacement, and roof repair and replacements, among many other facility focused projects.

Additionally, six schools received significant construction, modernizations and/or renovations this summer including:

• Angel Oak Elementary School – Underwent several facility renovation projects and added a new 29,000-square-foot addition.
• Camp Road Middle School – The project scope was to create a fully functional swing space at the former James Island Middle School campus during the rebuilding of Camp Road Middle School. To accomplish the fully functional swing space, six new double mobiles were brought in to add ten classrooms, an assistant principal office, and guidance space for the sixth graders, among several site work projects and improvements to the existing building.
• Carolina Park Elementary School – The school was constructed on approximately 22 acres of land located on Park Avenue Boulevard in Carolina Park and is roughly 127,000 square feet. It is designed to accommodate 900 students initially, with the potential for additional classrooms to increase the capacity to 1200 students, if needed.
• Deer Park Middle School – Phase II of its multi-phased construction plan consisted of a complete fire alarm replacement, the installation of seven portable classrooms, and an additional restroom trailer.
• Pinehurst Elementary School – Phase I of its multi-phased program included the demolition of Pinehurst Elementary School’s west wing and the construction of a new 30,000-square-foot classroom wing. Also included in the first phase was the installation of the new first and second grade playground, shade canopies at the drop-off area, and general renovations of the existing building.
• St James Santee – Summer projects included the replacement of the school’s HVAC system, repairs and replacement of ACT ceilings, a complete renovation of the school’s toilets, updates to signage, roofing repairs and replacement, as well as repairs to the building’s envelope.

Experts in educational project and cost management, Cumming’s South Carolina team has provided construction management services on behalf of CCSD since 1999. Cumming oversees the District’s critical construction and renovation projects to make sure the programs stay within budget and adhere to the established timelines.