When the El Paso Gridley school district passed a referendum for the construction of a new junior high school, CORE Construction got to work to get the project completed on time for the 2022-23 school year.

Construction of the project in Gridley, Illinois included an 80,000-square-foot new junior high school, storm shelter, and expanded space for arts and choir students. Mid-States Concrete provided 178 wall panels, one column, and 59 pieces of hollowcore plank and solid slabs to meet the precast needs of the project.

Nicole Shelton, Project Manager with CORE Construction, found several benefits to working with Mid-States Concrete Industries for the project’s precast needs.

”From a coordination and shop drawings process, there is a lot to it, but I think Mid-States did a really nice job coordinating that alongside CORE and working with the MEP trades to make sure we had stuff cast in and openings we needed,” she said. “In terms of installing, it’s very convenient for a construction schedule and getting a building closed in quickly. It allowed us to get enclosed and work inside during the late winter months.”

Additionally, the project management team’s onsite visits ahead of construction were crucial to working through logistics.

”Mid-States was really professional and helpful,” Shelton said. “[They were] on site constantly and easy to reach during the project. All of that helped the project run smoothly.”

Even before a project begins, Shelton appreciates the communication of the Mid-States team. She likes that she can pick up the phone and speak to the preconstruction team with general questions about precast, schedule, how it all works and get the details she needs to help her prepare for future projects.

”I’ve always been impressed by Mid-States’ communication and making sure we are trying to get ahead on issues or anything that may come up in the future,” Shelton said.

Check out a video of the project in progress, shared by El Paso Gridley CUSD 11 >>