McCarthy Building Cos. has begun the first phase of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s $163 million improvement program.
The two-phase, five-to-seven year plan calls for modernizing and upgrading 28 schools within the district, which serves Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.
The plan calls for some new construction, including two new gymnasiums, said Carter Chappell, president of McCarthy’s Southern California division. Part of the work also includes adding air-conditioning and accessibility for the handicapped, he said.
“When many of these buildings were built, those things weren’t required. Now they are, and upgrades are needed to bring them up to date,” Chappell said.
Projects include upgrades to classrooms, technology and communication systems, athletic facilities, restrooms and parking, among others.
In some cases, the upgrades seem almost trivial: rooms equipped with only one electrical outlet are being expanded to accommodate computers.
No single project will take up the lion’s share of the budgeted $163 million, Chappell said. The bulk of the project funding comes from the voter-approved Measure A, which OK’d the sale of $110 million in general obligation bonds.
The remaining $53 million is made up of matching funds made available through the State School Facilities Program for modernization.
During the first phase, St. Louis-based McCarthy plans to develop an implementation and modernization plan with school officials, community representatives and an oversight committee, Chappell said.
“We’ll have the planning and identification done by mid-summer, at which point a plan will be presented to the trustees,” he said.
At the second phase, McCarthy plans to select consultants, architects and engineers before getting to site work. Already joining McCarthy are California Financial Services of Mission Viejo, Capital Management Group of Sacramento and JCJ Associates of Newport Beach.
The Newport-Mesa School District serves more than 21,000 students. The district includes 22 elementary schools, two intermediate schools, four high schools, one alternative education center and one adult education center.
“The overall physical plant of Newport-Mesa is aging,” said Tony Petros, spokesperson for the district’s Community Oversight Committee. “In many cases, the buildings are not safe. It is not an environment conducive to a good education.” n
