GMK Hanscomb/GMK was retained to provide program management services to oversee the county’s $115 million Phase I School Bond Program. With a total of 47 individual projects, the program was estimated to be completed in 60 months.
 
The program was comprised of six new schools, 24 expansion projects with renovations, three general renovations, nine roof repair and replacements and five technology retrofits. Two school consolidations were planned which involved replacing all existing facilities except a gymnasium and a cafeteria. Existing classrooms were demolished with replacement classrooms built in a phased operation to prevent disruption to the school’s operation.
 
Due to increased SPLOST collections and the program being successfully managed under budget, additional projects including Freedom Park Elementary School, Downtown Central Office project and Wilkinson Gardens Elementary School were all added to Phase I.
 
Two schools are listed on the Historic Register and have now been historically restored to their circa 1900 exteriors while modernizing the classroom interiors and systems. Environmental concerns in many schools required abatement and included asbestos, lead-based paint and underground storage tank removal.
 
Hanscomb/GMK was an extension of the Board of Education’s facilities department, reporting to a Planning Committee comprised of the superintendent, deputy and assistant superintendent, school attorney, consultant, architect and comptroller. In addition, we attended board meetings as well as interfacing with a Community Oversight Committee, a group of citizen volunteers acting in an advisory capacity for the community. 
 
Some of the many duties of this comprehensive program include matching bond funds with the proposed budgets, providing teams for budgeting, value engineering, construction scheduling and construction sequencing. Hanscomb/GMK also provided solutions to further the program such as ensuring efficient designs, managing costs and obtaining maximum bidder participation.