Saunders Construction Announces Early Completion of Rodger Quist Middle School in District 27J

Middle school to open Seven Months Early in January 2020

THORNTON, COLO. (April 4, 2019) – Saunders Construction is pleased to announce that it is on pace to complete the construction of School District 27J’s new middle school, Rodger Quist Middle School (RQMS) several months before the originally expected delivery date. The school, which is currently under construction, is on pace to be open to seven months early – allowing the new school to open early to students, teachers and staff in January 2020, instead of the originally scheduled date of August 2020.

“Due to the smart planning, hard work and dedication of the project team, we are thrilled to be delivering this much-needed facility to School District 27J ahead of schedule,” said Tom Alford, vice president at Saunders Construction. “In a heated construction market, it is difficult to achieve such great results and deliver a high-quality learning environment for up to 825 students, and we also want to recognize the hard work of our trade partners to achieve this milestone.”

The 132,492-square-foot middle school is under construction at 13451 Yosemite St. in Thornton. The school is being built on 21-acres and will have a student capacity of 825 students for grades sixth through eighth. Currently, there are 670 Quist students attending school in Riverdale Ridge High School, across the street from the Quist construction site.

Quist will be the fifth middle school building in the District. The middle school is named for longtime, retired 27J Educator Rodger Quist who served as principal at Northeast Elementary (1977-1985), Overland Trail Middle School (1985-1990) and South Elementary (1990-1995.)

Additional factors contributing to an earlier school opening include the hard work and dedication of the entire architect and construction teams, an early mild winter allowing for construction to continue on pace, and the decision to install a temporary roof on RQMS to allow for interior work including electrical, drywall and cabinetry to be completed earlier.

Rodger Quist Middle School is being designed by Larson Incitti Architects and the owner’s representative is Inline Management. Other major project partners include Midwest Steel, ISEC, Colorado Window Systems, Colorado Doorways, Phase 2 Company, Shamrock Painting, Central Mechanical, Frontier Fire, Wayne’s Electric, Barnes Masonry, EZ Excavating and Thoutt Brothers.

About 27J Schools:
27J Schools educates over 18,000 students from Aurora, Brighton, Commerce City, Lochbuie, and Thornton and encompasses parts of Adams, Broomfield and Weld counties. The mission of 27J Schools, with the support of the family and community, is to ensure that all students have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for present and future competence and success. 27J Schools operates on a four-day school week schedule. Classes are held Tuesday – Friday.– www.sd27j.org

27J Schools, 18551 E. 160^th Ave., Brighton, CO, 80601, 303-655-2900