Omaha construction Archives - Page 4 of 5

August 13, 2020 Julie Swartz Current Projects

Prairie Construction Partners with the Westside Foundation

Prairie Construction proudly partnered with the Westside Foundation to expand their childcare services.

The Foundation supports early childhood education for the Westside School District through preschool programs and before and after school care.

The most recent child care center for the district was opened in the former Countryside Church, which was purchased by Corum Deo. The Foundation formed a partnership with Corum Deo to designate the lower level of the church for a child care center.

Converting the former Church basement into a space suitable and up to code for a child care center required a complete redesign of the space. The design included the renovation of four classrooms, two preschool rooms and bathrooms designed for preschool-age children. The floors needed to be raised in the new bathrooms to meet code for educational purposes and the entire space was refreshed and remodeled.

The Westside Foundation uses private funds to support continued improvements of educational programs offered by Westside Community Schools. Prairie Construction is proud to partner again with the Westside Foundation, and look forward to additional projects in the future!

July 31, 2020 Julie Swartz Current Projects

New Westside District Child Care Center

Prairie Construction proudly partnered with the Westside Foundation to expand their childcare services.

The Foundation supports early childhood education for the Westside School District through preschool programs and before and after school care.

Converting the former Church basement into a space suitable and up to code for a child care center required a complete redesign of the space. The design included the addition of four classrooms, two preschool rooms and bathrooms designed for preschool-age children. The floors needed to be raised to meet code for educational purposes and the entire space was refreshed and remodeled.

May 7, 2020 Julie Swartz Company News

Happy Mother’s Day from Prairie Construction

We’ve been celebrating a special day for Moms in the US since 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill designating the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day.

The celebration of Mother’s Day can be traced back to 16^th century England when “Mothering Sunday” was designated as a day for families to gather together to celebrate mothers and families.

These are unusual times, but looking forward to Mother’s Day helps things feel a little more “normal”. Now more than ever, the focus is on family – whether we are staying home together, or missing time spent with family.

Moms cherish time spent with loved ones more than anything. Whether it’s together, or through video and Facetime, help the Moms in your life connect with family this Mother’s Day. Show her how much you appreciate her love and support, especially during these challenging times.

All of us at Prairie Construction join you in honoring mothers everywhere, and thanking them for nurturing our families and bettering our community.

April 28, 2020 Julie Swartz Company News

Do You Know the History of May Day?

May Day is the first day of May!

May Day is marked by maypoles and baskets of treats and flowers left anonymously on porches. Small gestures to celebrate the arrival of Spring!

But did you know May Day is significant for another reason? The history dates back to 1886 when thousands of American workers demonstrated in support of an 8-hour workday, and in 1889, the International Socialist Conference declared May 1 to be International Workers’ Day, an international holiday for labor.

In 1958, President Eisenhower signed a resolution naming May 1 “Loyalty Day” – declaring it a “special day for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States of America and for the recognition of the heritage of American freedom.”

On this May Day, and every day, we celebrate the hard-working members of the Prairie Construction team. While the coronavirus crisis has impacted all of us, and our community has been sheltering in place for several weeks, our crews have continued working hard and keeping projects moving forward.

With gratitude to everyone on the Prairie team, our vendors, clients and partners, we wish you all a Happy May Day!

October 21, 2019 Julie Swartz Current Projects

Insulated Concrete Forms on Display at New Papillion Elementary School

We broke ground on Asbury Hills Elementary School, the newest Papillion school district elementary school, at the end of the summer.

Asbury Hills Elementary will have a very similar floor plan to Prairie Queen Elementary School, which Prairie Construction also built for the Papillion school district. One big difference in the construction of the two schools however, is the addition of insulated concrete forms (ICF) that will be used to form the exterior walls of Asbury Hills Elementary.

Prairie Construction has been working closely with the Nebraska Concrete Aggregates Association to incorporate ICF into the construction of the school. While this trend is not brand new, few schools or buildings in Nebraska have adopted this construction practice.

On Nov. 1 the Nebraska Concrete and Aggregates Association and Iowa Ready Mixed Concrete Association will host an Open House and tour of the new school to showcase the insulated concrete forms. Architects, designers, contractors and school officials will have the opportunity to see the process up close, and learn about the energy efficient benefits of ICF.

The event will be held from 10 am to 2 pm on Friday, Nov. 1 at the site of the new school near Werner Park in Papillion. The event is free and lunch is included. The deadline to register is Friday, Oct. 25 and can be completed HERE.

The event will include a presentation at Werner Park, 12356 Ballpark Way in Papillion by Greg Lewis, NRMCA and Randy Daniels, Fox Blocks. A bus tour of the school site will follow lunch.

Insulated concrete forms are safer and more efficient energy than traditional framing, and the inclusion of ICF reduces construction time. Their sustainability and strength contribute to reduced annual utility costs which can save school districts millions of dollars throughout the life of the structure.

Prairie Construction is proud to be part of this ground-breaking project and we look forward to seeing you there!

August 29, 2019 Julie Swartz Current Projects

Ashbury Hills Elementary School Project

Prairie Construction was pleased to break ground on Ashbury Hills Elementary School in Papillion.

The 55,000 square foot school is located at 120^th & Schram Rd. near Werner Park. The School will welcome students next Fall for the 2020/21 school year.

The elementary school will have a very similar floor plan as Prairie Queen Elementary, another Papillion Elementary school that Prairie Construction built.

While they may look the same, the construction of the two schools will differ in some ways. The outside walls of Ashbury Hills will be built with insulated concrete forms (ICF) for maximum energy efficiency. This is a new trend in school construction, and one that Prairie Construction is excited to implement in the Ashbury Hills project.

Building schools has become a passion of ours. Click HERE to see other school projects we have completed. We are looking forward to completing the Ashbury Hills project over the next year!

February 5, 2019 Julie Swartz Current Projects

Skutt Catholic High School Project Dedicated

In May 2018 we told you about a project that Prairie Construction was starting at Skutt Catholic High School.

As the 2017/18 school year wrapped up, we started a 3500 square foot project that included a secure main school entrance and vestibule, an expanded lobby area, and additional office space.

The students, faculty and staff of Skutt Catholic High School enjoyed the new space for the first semester of the 2018/19, and the Ken and Beverley Pohlman Welcoming Lobby, was officially dedicated on February 4, 2019.

Prairie Construction was honored to be part of this special project.

November 20, 2018 Julie Swartz Current Projects

Omaha Fire Station #43

Last summer, a fire started at station #43 of the Omaha Fire Department. It may seem ironic, but it goes to show that anyone is susceptible to an accidental fire – even firefighters. The fire started in the kitchen while most of the fire crew was out on an emergency, and it caused significant damage to the kitchen and living quarters of the station. Because of work we have done on previous projects, the City of Omaha contacted Prairie Construction for the immediate need of gutting the electrical system to make the station safe.

After ensuring the structure was safe, we began phase 1 of the remodel of station #43. This involved constructing temporary sleeping quarters in the apparatus bay so normal operations could resume from the station. The firefighters were fortunate to find temporary housing at the Omaha Police Department locate right behind the fire station during this phase of the project.

Phase 2, which is expected to be completed in early spring, involves a remodel of the living quarters. The original design of the station included open air sleeping quarters, and individual sleeping quarters will be incorporated into the remodel, as well as updated living and kitchen area.

We appreciate the opportunity to give back to the Omaha Fire Department and the firefighters who help our community every day. Check back for an update when this project is completed!

October 22, 2018 Julie Swartz Current Projects

Creighton University Rigge Science Building Project

Creighton alum and former professor George Haddix and his wife gave a $10 million to Creighton University last month. The gift is earmarked academic programs, faculty development, laboratories, student opportunities and advising.

Haddix earned a master’s degree in math from Creighton and was a professor at the university from 1969-1971. He has donated to other schools he attended, including to STEM programs at UNO.

Prairie Construction was honored to be chosen for the first phase of this esteemed project. Immediately after the 2017/18 school year finished in May, we began demolition in the Rigge Science Building. This project kept us busy throughout the summer and we completed in August, right before the 2018/19 school year started.

The project included demolition of the first floor and a remodel of the corridor and four classrooms, as well as a remodel of labs on the second and fourth floors. The improvements will directly impact STEM programming for undergraduate and graduate students.

Prairie Construction was involved in other recent projects on Creighton University’s campus, including a multi-phase project in the Bio Information Center (BIC) for the occupational therapy study space and the addition of study carrels, and a renovation of the Old Gym. We value Creighton’s continued trust in Prairie Construction, and we look forward to partnering with them on additional projects in the future!

August 16, 2018 Julie Swartz Current Projects

Gretna Public Works Facility Update

Earlier this year we were excited to learn that we were awarded the contract for the brand new Gretna Public Works facility.

We broke ground on the project located at 20090 Husker Drive, north of the water tower and fire station in Gretna and have been busy with the foundation, paving and steel erection at the facility.

The 38,000 square foot facility will allow the City of Gretna to consolidate all Public Works vehicles and equipment in one facility.

Here are some images of the progress – check back for more updates!