The Texas Education Agency's newest Regional Educational Service Center opened its doors on February 1st, 2004. On a wooded 13.63 acre site at 5701 Springdale Road in east Austin, the beautiful 74,000 sq. ft., three story training facility and conference center welcomed the sixteen county area and fifty nine school districts it serves. The Region XIII Education Service Center began in 1967 with only three employees. Now the facility boasts 170 dedicated professionals who provide a myriad of services and products for the districts it serves.

The three level 400 space parking garage was completed in July 2003 to allow the staff and visitors the option of covered parking, a first for them. Nine security cameras provide constant surveillance of the garage for added security. Seven more cameras complete the complement of security surveillance for the facility. Plenty of surface parking also is available.

One of the challenges in constructing the facility occurred when the site contractor went out of business only five months into construction. In order to prevent any slowdown in the process and to stand by American Constructors' "commitment to on time delivery", the project team decided to self-perform the work. As Katie Loughmiller, Project Engineer said, "We did not want anything to slow down our progress. We put together a strategy, climbed on the equipment and did not miss a stride." 21,000 cubic yards of land had to be excavated to prepare the parking area and building pad.

In addition to self-performing the sitework, American Constructors, LP (ACLP) installed the wood decking under the exterior walkway and deck canopies. All of the hardware in the building was also installed by ACLP. The sidewalks along the existing building were designed and installed by ACLP. With the ADA requirements in mind, the sidewalks wind gracefully around the existing trees and have no steps in them.

The five training rooms were designed with the ability to configure up to eleven separate self-contained rooms by the use of soundproof sliding partitions. Each of the eleven rooms has self contained HVAC controls for individual comfort. From each room's podium, state of the art audio-video systems are designed so that the speaker has the ability to control the projectors, motorized screens, lighting and sound system. Each training room is named after a Central Texas location. Names such as Laguna Gloria, Enchanted Rock and Treaty Oak are just a few. In addition two of the facilities training rooms can function as computer labs.

In May 2003 the State Legislature reviewed, or "sunset" the service center programs which decreased the available funding. This gave Region XIII three options. One was to halt construction. Another was to change the building to only two floors instead of three. The third was to find over a half a million dollars to cut out of the budget and leave the second floor as partial finishout.

ACLP's creative staff, along with the architect Fields & Associates came up with cost saving options to keep the structure at three stories and to keep on building. Changes were made in some areas of interior finishes while keeping in mind the aesthetic intent of the design. The book storage building that was destroyed by an earlier fire was deleted, cut stone on the building was replaced by cast stone, and stone on the garage was changed to concrete. When the funding was restored, the second floor finishout was added back in. The other changes resulted in a savings for the owner.

The commitment and teamwork between ACLP, TEA Region XIII and Fields & Associates Architects resulted in a state of the art facility that any person would be proud to call their place of work.

• Johnson City ISD - New High School
• Burnet ISD - New High School
• Leander ISD - Deer Creek Elementary
• Leander ISD - Pleasant Hill Elementary
• Leander ISD - Canyon Ridge Middle School
• Lake Travis ISD Renovations - Bee Caves Elementary, Lake Pointe Elementary, Lake Travis Elementary
• Lake Travis ISD - New Elementary School
• Central Texas Medical Center - Renovations, San Marcos

With the spring school semester coming to an end it is now time for school building summer maintenance to begin. Here are some tips to consider for keeping your buildings in tip top shape during the summer and be ready for the rush of activity for the fall semester.

• With the rainy season upon us be sure that any roof top filter system access doors are closed and secure to prevent water intrusion.
• Perform inspections on irrigation system's backflow preventer, filter media and sediment traps.
• Turn back thermostats, but don't turn them off completely. Preventing high humidity in the building will help protect the wood gym floors and keep them from warping. It will also help protect wood doors and keep them from warping and sticking.
• Inspect window and control joint caulking.
• Make sure all windows are tightly closed.
• Motors and pumps should be inspected and oiled/greased per manufacturer's recommendations.
• Kitchen shut down procedures should follow manufacturer's recommendations to maintain a clean environment. Refrigerators' thermostats may be turned up, but not off. Don't forget the ice machines. They also should be shut down and cleaned per manufacturer's recommendations.

These are just a few helpful hints to follow to be sure your school building is ready to go when the bell rings.

Work has recently begun on the new "South Austin Campus" of Austin Community College located at the north east corner of Stassney Lane and Manchaca Road.

The first order of business is the demolition of an existing grocery store. Once that has been completed the three story 77,000 square foot building, with 47,000 square feet of covered walkway, and a three and one half level 405 space parking garage will begin. The South Austin Campus will house classrooms, a library, an auditorium, practice rooms, studios, science and computer labs and visual communication programs.

The Central Texas North Chapter of CEFPI meets monthly in Austin at a different school location. The last three meetings have been held at ACLP constructed projects: Round Rock Stadium, Vista Ridge High School and John P. Ojeda Middle School. ACLP's Marty Burger is a proud representative on the Board.

Q: What is CEFPI?
A: The Council is a professional association whose sole mission is improving the places where children learn. CEFPI members - individuals, institutions and corporations - are actively involved in planning, designing, building, equipping and maintaining schools and colleges. The association serves its members through three key strategic areas:

Advocacy and education of the general public, including policymakers, on the efficacy of school design and student outcomes; resource for planning effective educational facilities.

Training and professional development of our members and others through current program, workshops, seminars and conferences promoting best practices in creative school planning.

Research and dissemination of information regarding the linkage between the educational facility, its design and student success.
(From www.cefpi.org)

• Austin Chapter AGC - Outstanding Construction Award for Round Rock Stadium

• Tilt-Up Concrete Association - National Award for Vista Ridge High School

• Baker Drywall's - General Contractor of the Year

• Concrete Masonry - Association Golden Trowel Award

• Engineering News Record - #324 of Top 400 Contractors in the United States

• Engineering News - Record #97 of Top 100 Construction Manager's at Risk in the United States

• Austin Business Journal's - #3 General Contractor in Austin