Redington: Pinnacle of School Bond Projects

From a rain-soaked groundbreaking last year to the cheers of school children last week, the Joe Redington Jr./Sr. High opened with an upbeat celebration. The first and last sleds run in the Iditarod by Joe Redington Sr. are displayed on the library wall. The mascot is the Husky. 

Built in the Knik-Fairview area, known as the fifth largest community in Alaska, the school already has 100 more students than expected.  At 96,000 square feet, Redington High is the largest school built in the Mat-Su in the last 14 years.

The school is one of the many projects funded in the $214 million school bond package, approved by voters in 2011. The State picks up 70 percent of the cost of the school, thanks to local legislators.

Watch the Redington High video here.

Wolf Architecture and Collins Construction built the school on time and under budget on a challenging site. More than 90 percent of the workers on the job were Valley subcontractors and employees, said Borough Project Manager Bob Bechtold.

The Mat-Su Borough builds schools and owns them. Several Borough staff played a key role. Borough Land Management Agent Nancy Cameron made possible the site acquisition. Purchasing Officer Russ Krafft, with Assistant Purchasing Officer Sharri Smith, put the competing contractors through a rigorous proposal evaluation. Project Manager Bob Bechtold oversaw the project. Deborah Selman was instrumental in managing the contract administration.

"Collins Construction performed superbly throughout construction of the new school and provided $743,000 back to the contract through the value engineering process with the GC/CM General Contractor/Construction Management contract," Bechtold said.

Watch the three-minute video on the ribbon cutting. Speakers in the video include Mat-Su School District Superintendent Deena Paramo, Mat-Su Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss, Mat-Su Borough Manager John Moosey, Mat-Su Borough Assembly Member Dan Mayfield, Mat-Su School Board Chair Susan Pougher, Redington Principal Tom Lytle. In earlier footage, Sen. Bill Stoltze, and Barbara Redington, daughter-in-law to Joe Redington Sr., both speak at the groundbreaking.

Video, photos, music by Mat-Su Borough Public Affairs.