Clark Construction says North Flint campus "cube" is on schedule; glazing, inspections next 30 days

Clark Construction reported progress this week on the North Flint campus expansion, telling the Flint Board of Education that the project is on schedule and will begin glazing and a round of mechanical, electrical and plumbing inspections over the next 30 days.

The contractor said masonry, the steel structure and roofing are complete, curtain-wall framing is in place and the team has started glazing. Interior concrete has been poured and mechanical-electrical-plumbing (MEP) rough-in work is finished in several areas, the company said. “We’re on schedule,” the contractor said.

The single-story "cube" will include a roughly 5,000-square-foot footprint per floor, an eight-lane competitive running track surrounding a natural-grass football field, and four basketball/pickleball courts, the contractor said. With tables and chairs, meeting rooms on each level will hold about 50 people; without tables the building capacity was given as about 260 people, a figure that also accounts for office and small-room space.

Contractors described the next 30 days as a busy window: installers will put glazing in the curtain-wall system, begin exterior stone masonry at the building base, finish restroom framing and interior ceilings, and complete block fill and painting. The company said it had about 40–44 people onsite on the most recent workday and that the state building inspector is scheduled to visit next Thursday.

The contractor also described interior work nearing completion in specialized spaces: the gross-motor room has MEP rough-in complete, ductwork and hydronic piping in place, and additional windows due within a month. Connector framing and windows are installed; the elevator shaft and associated floors were described as substantially complete.

Superintendent Jones and board members said they are coordinating tours for students at nearby schools to see the work and learn about crafts and engineering careers. The contractor said it is working with school principals and engineers from Stantec and the project architects to arrange half-day visits for students that would include trade partners and engineers explaining applied career paths.

Board members asked practical questions about capacity and restrooms. The contractor answered that there will be gang-style restroom groupings — described as two to three toilets per group — with one restroom upstairs and one downstairs, and that some final decisions on fixtures remain tied to the final build-out. The board also asked about glazing impact resistance; the contractor said installed glass is designed not to shatter like ordinary pane glass, but it is not ballistic-rated.

The district and contractor said there is no additional action requested of the board at this meeting. The project manager said inspections and trade work scheduled for the next month will determine the next public update.