Carlsbad Unified School District

Project Value: $252M
Market: Education - K-12

The District selected Gafcon to manage their Proposition P bond program including the design and construction of the new Sage Creek High School, the modernization and new construction at Carlsbad High School, along with technology and security upgrades to six middle and elementary schools. We are also providing as-needed staff augmentation services for the District’s Measure HH bond.

As program and project managers, Gafcon’s team ensured that the modernization of Carlsbad High School was completed with little disruption to students and faculty. Many buildings were demolished and the campus was almost entirely rearranged, adding 11 new classroom buildings, a stadium, a wrestling building, and renovation of all sports fields.

Building the new Sage Creek High School on an environmentally sensitive site was a challenge. Gafcon successfully negotiated and incorporated mitigation measures from three Environmental Impact Report (EIR) lawsuits into the project during design. Those efforts led to Division of State Architect (DSA) approval and completion of the environmental impact report, saving 12 months on the schedule.

Closing out the Proposition P bond program, Gafcon also completed the delivery of the Sage Creek Performing Arts Center, a 16,500 SF facility housing an array of programs including choir and instrumental music, musical theatre, drama, and dance. During the bidding process, the District was challenged with both a tight construction labor market and unexpected material cost increases in concrete and steel. We were able to work with the architects, at no cost to the District, to complete the minor redesign of the facilities and some de-scoping to bring them within budget. In the end, through aggressive management of the soils work, we were able to buy back all the items value engineered out of the Performing Arts Center.