"The new Supai creates a fantastic learning environment for our students and staff, and demonstrates that, with the support of our community, we can modernize and improve our older schools in a fiscally responsible manner," said David Goldstaub, clerk of the Governing Board for Scottsdale Unified School District.

The school community and the community at large are poised to celebrate the new school at a dedication program this Thursday, Oct. 10, beginning at 6 p.m. Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross and other representatives from the city are expected to attend, to celebrate a project that was fast-tracked with the help of city and state officials.

"The new Supai School is a wonderful example of reinvestment in Scottsdale's maturing neighborhoods. More importantly, it is a powerful statement to Supai students that our community cares about them and wants them to have the best school and the best education possible," Mayor Manross said.

First-year principal, Dan Cooper, agrees, saying the investment already is paying off with a renewed sense of pride among students and teachers. "It's a good feeling to know that the community and the school district invested in our young people here at Supai," Mr. Cooper said.

Construction of the roughly 108,000-square-foot campus was an incredible team effort and was nothing short of miraculous, said Dr. Bill Johnson, chief of facilities and operations for the District.

"A year and a half ago, we were slated to put $1.5 million from the 1997 bond and another $1.5 million from the state School Facilities Board into renovating some of the old Supai," Dr. Johnson said. "That amount was grossly inadequate to do the job," he said.

Instead, with the cooperation of the School Facilities Board and project management firm 3D/International, "we were able to recoup enough funds from other bond projects to replace the old Supai," Dr. Johnson said.

"And then, with the extraordinary efforts of the architect, contractor, and subcontractors, and the team spirit exhibited by all involved, including the cities of Scottsdale and Tempe, we were able to complete the project in less than 15 months, from the time the Governing Board approved the project until the doors opened for students and teachers this August," Dr. Johnson said.

"The fast-tracking of this project, along with the Construction Manager at Risk with a Guaranteed Maximum Price contacting method save three months off the construction schedule, Dr. Johnson noted.

Ed Boot, the executive director of the state School Facilities Board, was on hand for a construction completion celebration Sept. 6. "We do a lot of these . . . the creation of a building such as this from what we had is the ultimate deficiency correction project," Mr. Boot said. "The new Supai speaks well for this district and for the construction team," he added.

The principal, along with PTO President Judith Reed, will co-host the dedication activities Thursday. "Supai always was a great school, and I always felt we had exceptional teachers. Now we have a new facility that we can be proud of," Mrs. Reed said.

Kent Bosworth, vice president of 3D/International provided the following information, which he calls "Supai by the numbers": The new construction of eight buildings, totaling 75,405 square feet; the renovation of three buildings, totaling 32,406 square feet; the demolition and asbestos abatement of 13 buildings, totaling 60,820 square feet; and 12 acres of site improvements, at a guaranteed maximum price of $10.3 million.

The construction team for the project included: Gould Evans & Associates, architect; Concord Companies, contractor; and 3D/International, project manager.

Supai Middle School is located at 6720 E. Continental, Scottsdale. About 700 seventh and eighth grade students attend. Supai is one of seven middle schools in the Scottsdale Unified School District. It initially opened in the fall of 1959 as a K-8 facility, but was converted in the fall of 1981 to a middle school for seventh- and eighth-graders.

Thursday's dedication ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. in the gymnasium. The PTO is hosting a fundraising dinner from 7 to 8 p.m. Campus tours, led by Student Government students, will be offered between 6:45 and 9 p.m. Additional information about the dinner is available from the PTO at 480-423-0233 or 480-946-0762.
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