Following the collapse of the Hononegah High School athletic dome and the passing of a nearly $18 million referendum, Hononegah High School now boasts a state-of-the-art athletic facility.
The roughly 90,000-square-foot, two-story field house includes a 200-meter track plus pole vault, long jump, high jump, and shot put; seating for 2,500 spectators; competition courts for basketball and volleyball; three synthetic flooring practice courts; two batting cages; fitness center; multi-lane synthetic turf field for strength and agility training; and multi-purpose room. A grand opening was held in April 2019.
Mid-States Concrete representatives thought precast was a good fit for the project for both the speed of construction and the finishes that we could produce on the exterior face of the panels with the thin brick that was used, which needed to match the existing facility.
“It enhanced the field house by the clean finishes on the inside face of the panels, which allowed them to paint the inside,” said Troy Yaun, Preconstruction. “The panels were also designed as load bearing panels for the large roof trusses that had long clear spans.”
The Mid-States production team manufactured the 12” thick, 12’ wide and 42’ tall panels on our steel form beds. Doors and windows are framed out with wood blocking and chamfer strips creating a clean edge. The thin brick is laid into a form liner and then the exterior concrete wythe is poured. Then a layer of insulation is placed over that wythe with another wythe of concrete poured over the top of the insulation. This is called a sandwich panel and it provided the desired thermal efficiency and sound absorption, while also requiring very little future maintenance.
According to Senior Project Manager Toby Bennett, integral color on the non-brick panels eliminated the need for later staining and the cast-in brick eliminated the need for a secondary crew of masons to install in the field, decreasing the amount of trades needed on the jobsite.
“The final finish was exceptional,” Bennett said. “And it met the requirements that the owner was looking for.”
This project was particularly special for Mid-States to work on because the school is right down the road from our plant and a number of our families have had children in the school district over the years.
“I enjoyed working on this project because both my kids graduated from Hononegah High School and I know a lot of people in the district and administration,” Yaun said.
Hononegah High School will enjoy all the long-term benefits of using precast concrete, including energy efficiency, strong durability, storm resistance, functional resilience, long service life, and so much more.
“It is used by our PE classes,” said Athletic Director Steven Cofoid. “All levels of basketball and volleyball (boys and girls) use the main field house wood floor court for their home games. Wrestling uses it as well for their big meets. All other athletic teams use the facility for practices.”
One of the best things about the field house is that the school rarely has to have teams practicing past 8 pm and there is plenty of space for both athletes and spectators.
“It has allowed our athletes to train in a state-of-the-art facility,” Cofoid said. “We are able to meet the practice needs of more teams in a timely manner.”
Cofoid added that most people are in awe the first time they come into the field house and are proud to call the new facility home.
Precast Components:
188 Wall Panels (52,930 square feet)
Project Partners:
Construction Manager: Ringland-Johnson Construction
Architect: DLA Architects
EOR: Pease Borst & Associates