New Donaldsonville school built in sugarcane field

Intricate truss system supports roof of multi-winged middle school

By Sam Barnes

A new kind of crop is growing near Donaldsonville.

The new $11.3 million, 120,000-sq.-ft. Lowrey Middle School is rising skyward as the sugarcane once did in a field on the outskirts of town. The school will replace the town's aging middle school when it opens this summer and will include classrooms, auditorium, cafeteria, offices and gymnasium.

One of the more interesting aspects of the project is its liberal use of structural steel.

"All of the building structures are made of steel, and each of the building's wings gets some type of steel truss with flat roofs around the perimeter," said Bruce Bacon, superintendent with Woodrow Wilson Construction Co. Inc. of Baton Rouge.

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Outlaw Steel Erectors of Clinton is performing fabrication and erection at the site, and had to erect the largest trusses for the school's gymnasium.
"Six large trusses measuring about 100 ft. long arrived at the site in halves," Bacon said. The two sections were welded together on the ground and lifted and placed by hydraulic crane on top of the school's gymnasium columns.

"They used a cherry picker during the assembly, but a much larger 200-ton crane was used to place the big truss sections."

The remaining trusses are significantly smaller, measuring about 77 ft. in length.

Gary Hebert Architect of Plaquemine designed the school.

When the contractor broke ground in April, 6 in. of topsoil was stripped from the site and followed by the placement of 25,000 cu. yds. of select fill to create the building pad.

Lime was added to the pad to "tighten up" the soil and to achieve the specified 95 percent compaction. The process took about five weeks.

"We also had to fill some drainage ditches that cut through the middle of the property, then dig a retaining pond to provide a new place for drainage," Bacon said. When the school is finished, the pond will be filled and concrete pipe will carry the stormwater to a canal near the property.

Fontaine Builders Inc. of Lafayette performed site work and soil stabilization.

"We then formed up the building and put in spread footers, grade beams and anchor bolts to support the steel columns," Bacon added. A 4-in.-thick floor slab was poured for the building, supplied by Koch Material Co. of St. James, and pumped into place.

A standing-seam metal roof caps the building and the exterior will be made of brick, stucco and glass. Mechanical work requires the construction of a mechanical room for chillers on one side of the building.

"Inside the building and gymnasium we're installing drywall and there's nice tile flooring throughout," Bacon said. All of the steel columns are encased in metal studs and sheetrock throughout the building.

Other work requires construction of a new drive from the nearby highway and construction of an exterior steel and metal bus canopy at the main entrance.

"There are also football and soccer fields as part of the contract, where we'll have do some grading and put in some select fill to get it to the height they want," Bacon said. Fontaine will begin the work this spring.

Chad Lynch, Ascension Parish School Board construction manager, said the school system attends monthly meetings to "stay involved in the project." He said the expanded capacity of the school will enable the parish to accommodate population growth in the area.

Lynch added that the school's most striking feature will be its finished exterior colors, consisting of a blue-tinted roof, colored trim and a buckskin-colored stucco.

"It's going to be very attractive - something that you'll notice right away," he added.

Bacon said the project's fast-track pace is also noteworthy.

"Any time you try to build a school in a little over a year, it's a challenge," he added. "No matter what weather delays you encounter, you still have to finish on time. There are no excuses."

Accomplishing the deadline means "keeping on top of our crew and the subcontractors," Bacon said. "Nobody wants to be hit with liquidated damages at the end of a job. It's their responsibility to keep the job manned."

The site is close enough to Baton Rouge for it to affect manpower availability.

"There are a lot of people around here interested in working, but it still takes a while to get a good crew built up," Bacon added. The crew at the site currently averages about 60, including subcontractors.

"I'm here to make sure they get anything they need to get the job done."

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For more information about the Ascension Parish school system's building plans, click here>>