The new Mitchell Elementary School is beginning to rise, just three months after breaking ground.
Located at 3550 Pittsview Drive, the new school is being built adjacent to the existing Mitchell Elementary facility. Three months after the groundbreaking, the project has reached several major milestones despite facing weather-related setbacks.
“Since the groundbreaking three months ago, a lot has taken place,” said Moe Nagpal, AAPS’ Capital Programs Manager. “We’ve finished drilling all the geothermal wells. We’ve got foundations in place, and there is the start of the building, sprouting, literally, from the ground.”
While the summer’s intense heat hasn’t slowed progress, recent storms have caused some delays. However, the workers have made up any time delays, and the project remains on schedule for completion over the next two years.
The new Mitchell Elementary will feature significant environmental and efficiency upgrades, including advanced mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems powered by a new ground source geothermal system and rooftop solar panels. These improvements align with the district’s commitment to environmental sustainability while reducing long-term operating costs and providing a healthier learning environment for students.
“This is a complex project and its takes team effort with architects, engineers, city, state and county officials, building contractors and school administrators,” said Nagpal. “The onsite team from Construction Management Company McCarthy and Smith is doing a great job of coordinating the work with over 50 trades and keeping the work environment safe.”
Good news for the current school community: the noisiest phase of construction is nearly complete.
“The three rigs are about to leave the site, and we are done with the noisiest part of the construction, which is the geothermal drilling,” Nagpal explained. “During the school year, there shouldn’t be any sounds that are audible inside the classrooms at all.”
The Mitchell Elementary project represents one of several facility improvements funded through voter-approved bonds to modernize Ann Arbor Public Schools’ infrastructure across the district.
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