Ann K. Snyder Elementary School: Applying Years of Experience to Enhance Education

Since 1963 Brookstone Corporation (Brookstone) has earned a reputation for providing skilled general contracting and construction management services throughout southern Texas. Brookstone is well-respected for the company’s valued accomplishments in the education sector.

The company’s most recent venture is taking place in the greater Houston area, where Brookstone is building a state-of-the-art elementary school for the Conroe Independent School District (CISD). Construction on Ann K. Snyder Elementary School (Snyder Elementary) began in February 2012 and is scheduled to be complete by May 2013. The 125,000-square-foot elementary school will open its new-fangled doors to students in time for the 2013-2014 school year.

“This is our area of expertise,” says Jeff Atkinson, project manager for Brookstone on the Snyder Elementary project. “This is what we do best.” After 49 years in business, Brookstone knows what it takes to finish projects on time, even while working on a tight schedule.

Atkinson is confident in the team’s progress with Snyder Elementary. “CISD is a repeat client of ours,” he details. In addition, school projects are also Atkinson’s individual area of expertise. Since 2008, Atkinson has worked on one education sector project after another, and often manages multiple facilities at one time.

Educational Experts

Operating as the construction manger on-site, Brookstone is coordinating all trades efficiently. According to Atkinson, progress on Snyder Elementary is running ahead of schedule. “The 18-month project is actually running ahead of schedule,” explains Atkinson. “Lengthy negotiations between Conroe I.S.D. and the M.U.D. have drawn out longer than anticipated, but a permanent source of water will be in place prior to the school’s completion.”

The team at Brookstone oversees every detail of the company’s projects, starting with preconstruction design and planning all the way to post-construction services. Over the course of nearly a half-century, the company has constructed facilities in a variety of public and private sectors, including: commercial, educational, health care, industrial, municipal, religious and community. Brookstone sets the standard by combining experience, superior quality, as well as unsurpassed customer service.

In order to stay on top, safety is a top priority for Brookstone, especially considering the number of educational institutions the company works on annually. “The safety of the building is just as important as ensuring the project comes in on budget,” says Atkinson. “The American General Contractors Association awarded Brookstone for construction safety excellence amongst companies of our size in 2010. It makes it easy to work for a company that gets recognized for its efforts.”

Schedule is another important aspect for the team at Brookstone. Years of providing projects both on-time and on-budget have earned Brookstone many bids over its competitors. “We always finish on time or early,” stresses Atkinson. “We do a lot of summer renovation projects. “A timely completion is often more important than budget on summer renovation projects, but it is nice to return savings to an owner if it is a project that allows for it.”

Buildings Blocks and Challenges

The team goes above and beyond for its clients, which is why many continue to come back. Brookstone is currently focused on delivering Snyder Elementary a cost-effective solution, without sacrificing the quality of materials and labor. The brand-new elementary school consists of ceramic tile corridors, sound barrier walls situated between classrooms, a gymnasium, a full-industrial kitchen and a cafeteria.

In order to achieve Brookstone’s goal of surpassing the norm, the company assisted architects with the coordination and design of Snyder Elementary with the first-time use of Rivett, a 3-D BIM modeling software. “This was one of our first Rivett projects and architect’s, as well,” shares Atkinson. “The software can be very helpful. It helps deduce conflicts between trades and assist with elevations but there was definitely a learning curve for everyone.”

When shooting for the stars, oftentimes project’s can present a different set of obstacles. Along with the challenge of an unfamiliar engineering software, the physical site presented issues for Brookstone. “The site was previously used as a dumping area, not for actual trash but for dirt spoils,” details Atkinson. “There was some concern with making sure there was a stable pad, but luckily, the problem wasn’t as wide spread as we anticipated.”

Brookstone also found an existing drainage ditch that cut through the site. “There ended up being a lot of muck and material to clean up,” states Atkinson. “We also had issues accessing water on site.” While the company awaited approval from the district, the team tapped into the fire department’s connection with a temporary water meter, allowing various trades to access the same water supply.

In order to achieve a high level of success, the company worked with many familiar faces on the job. “After personally working for CISD for three years, it seems like more often than not it’s the same contractors who end up on these projects,” explains Atkinson.

The team at Brookstone also coordinated with CISD on the budget and scheduling for the school. “The district is a pleasure to work with,” Atkinson shares. “They pay in a timely fashion. Therefore, contractors strive to give them a valued service and quality work in return.”

After 49 years of project success, the company and its management team have the business down to a science. The team continues Brookstone Corporation’s reputation as the go-to educational contractor with the success of Ann K. Snyder Elementary School by providing superior construction management services through experience and trusted relationships.