Category: Weigand News

New Animal Shelter Homeward Bound

Posted on September 17, 2024

Sharon Bodenhafer Critter Center

Community members, Humane Fort Wayne staff, press, project partners, donors, and local officials gathered to watch the ribbon cutting for Humane Fort Wayne’s newest building, marking the official end of the construction phase and the opening of the facility. Together with donor Chuck Bodenhafer, Jessica Henry-Johnson, Humane Fort Wayne Executive Director, snipped the decorative blue ribbon, followed by a chorus of cheers from an energized crowd of supporters and animal lovers.

Built for All Paws

Sitting at 25,600 square feet, the new facility features:

Kennels with Open Air Access

Cat Colonies with Large Windows

Outdoor Play Areas

Walking Trail

Lobby

Community Education Center

Training Spaces

And More

With more space and resources provided by this new structure, the team at Humane Fort Wayne will not only have more room for pets on their adoption list but also an expanded list of service offerings for the community.

“The truth is this is going to help us unleash love on this community by way of helping homeless pets find forever homes and by providing spay/neuter services and wellness services for more than 30,000 animals in this community every year.” – Jessica Henry-Johnson, Executive Director, Humane Fort Wayne

Continuing the Legacy

For more than 65 years, Humane Fort Wayne has operated in Northeast Indiana, facilitating animal adoptions, educational resources, pet food pantries, assistance programming, and low-cost clinical services. We’re proud to be able to serve alongside as partners in this venture, bringing this vision, which is more than five years in the making, into the real world. We can’t wait to see how animals thrive in this facility built to connect them to their forever homes throughout the region.

“I’m forever grateful to the folks who built this building brick-by-brick, cinder block-by-cinder block. I truly felt as though the folks from Weigand wanted this facility for me as much as I wanted it for my team. The relationship I have and the respect I have for Larry Weigand and his crew is immeasurable. We even have a golden hammer here in honor of Tony Heckman our [superintendent] and Jon Becker our project manager because I really felt like for the last 14 months, we’ve been linked arms, and today they cut the ribbon with me in spirit because without them, none of this would have come to fruition, certainly not in the way that it has.” – Jessica Henry-Johnson, Executive Director, Humane Fort Wayne

Exciting Addition to Knights Campus

Posted on September 17, 2024

Ready for Fall

The Norwell community was elated as we celebrated the opening of their new middle school building. Joined by project partners Schmidt Architects, ERI, and Weigand Construction, Superintendent Mike Springer noted that collaboration helped to bring this project together. Not only so, but our team delivered this building more than a month ahead of schedule. This ensured that faculty and staff would have ample time to transfer their offices and arrange their classrooms well before the start of the fall semester.

Students Welcome

The new two-floor, 160,000 square foot middle school building is fitted to help meet current and future space needs as its student influx grows with features such as:

Media Center

Band and Choir Rooms

Art Classrooms

Commons Spaces

Science Classrooms

Multipurpose Rooms

Resource Rooms

Intense Intervention Classrooms

Sensory Room

Skills Development

Dedicated Alternative School Space

Office Wing

And More

This project also included some new additions and renovations to the existing baseball and football fields on the campus sports complex. These included:

Steel Archway Entrance

Football Building with Concessions, Bathrooms, and Ticket Booth

Baseball Building with Concessions, Bathrooms, and Ticket Booth

These features set Norwell Middle School up for success with future education programs, student learning experiences, and improved daily operations. Prepared to address a wide range of needs both academic and athletic, students and faculty can now enjoy the many benefits that their brand-new facility offers.

Proud Partner

We’re excited to have played a role in taking this amazing project from a blueprint to real bricks and mortar. Our team is currently hard at work on Phase II of this project, which will involve demolition and renovation of the old middle school building.

Upcoming Music Project Name Revealed

Posted on September 17, 2024

A Song not yet Written

A sound of hope and anticipation echoed through many in the Purdue Fort Wayne community as they witnessed the official construction kickoff for their new music center addition. The Surack-Sweetwater Music Industry Building, whose name was unveiled at the ceremony, is the fulfillment of a vision first set in 2018 when the School of Music first opened at PFW.

A Best-in-Class Facility

The Surack-Sweetwater Music Industry Building will act as an addition to the Rhinehart Music Center, providing more studio, rehearsal, and classroom space with a focus on recording, mixing, and mastering music. The $25M, 26,000 square foot building will have:

Two Studios

Rehearsal Rooms

Storage Spaces

Equipment Checkout

Editing Rooms

Classrooms

Office and Conference Space

Tracking Room

Isolation Rooms

And More

Sporting a modern, sleek design that still captures the overall look and feel of PFW’s larger campus, students will have access to industry-level technology, helping fine tune their sound as they learn to produce professional audio.

Made Possible Through Donors

This project moved forward through the coordinated efforts of contributors such as the Auer Foundation and the Surack Family, as well as many private donors. The Indiana General Assembly also played a role in securing funding by apportioning their budget to offset a large portion of the construction cost.

Construction Phase Now Online

We are excited to begin building this incredible new addition to the PFW Music Center. We’re humbled to have the opportunity to once again partner with PFW and Design Collaborative on this amazing project for the benefit of students, faculty, and the music industry in Fort Wayne as a whole. Here’s to building landmarks that impact the lives and communities we serve!

Fine Arts School Now Open

Posted on September 17, 2024

Strengthening School Programs

Excitement from many months of anticipation was felt as the Canterbury Community came together to officially open its new Fine Arts Center. Joined by the project team, the board of trustees, and key project donors, the group cut the ribbon, highlighting the final milestone since construction began in May of 2023.

“The campus has transformed dramatically with the Fine Arts Center now serving as a welcoming front door to the High School Campus.” – Larry Weigand, CEO, Weigand Construction

Designed for the Arts

Developed as the central hub for Canterbury’s Academy of the Arts, the new, 18,000 square foot facility has several specialized offerings for students such as:

A Gallery

2D Art Studio

3D Art Studio

Blackbox Theatre

Theatre Dressing Rooms

Music Classroom

Choral Room

Practice Rooms

Recording and Podcasting Studios

Media Lab

And More!

These features allow for a diverse range of artistic disciplines for students to discover, explore, and hone throughout their learning journeys. Not only that, but access to this facility will be available for students in every grade, allowing them to foster creativity at all stages of their education.

More Lasting than Bronze

This tremendous effort strengthening Canterbury’s educational experience resulted in a structure set to make an impact on every student passing through its doors.

“In the building that stands behind us, our students, guided by their incredible teachers, will produce art that will last a lifetime. We could not be more thankful to the Surack and James families, and to all of our donors for your support. You have, in the words of Horace, helped us to construct ‘a monument more lasting than bronze.’” – David Jackson, Head of School, Canterbury School

We cannot wait to see how students’ creativity flourishes through the programs at the Canterbury Fine Arts Center in the years to come!

Fall Semester is Here! 3 Things You Need to Know

Posted on September 17, 2024

An Excerpt from our Q3 Newsletter

Another School Year Begins

Fall is here, which means that another school semester is well underway for districts across the nation. As a former educator and school superintendent, the autumn months bring with them the crisp air and the smell of new beginnings. Students are entering the school year moving up a grade, youth athletics are in high gear, and many school districts are making considerations for future campus projects.

A K-12 Partner

At Weigand, we’ve had the distinct privilege of getting to work alongside several school administrations on a wide range of construction projects of all types and sizes. Whether it’s developing a new building, renovating a student wing, making repairs in an office corridor, or constructing an entire sports complex, we’re passionate about helping shape projects that meet our K-12 partners’ needs where it matters most.

Impacting Education for the Better

As a former client of Weigand Construction during my time as Superintendent at Goshen Community Schools, I can speak to the excitement that came with the completion of every project milestone from the groundbreaking to the ribbon cutting. This year, we’ve had the opportunity to see many K-12 projects at various stages, whether they’re just beginning or getting finished. Be sure to look at some of the amazing education projects our team is working on in this quarter’s issue of the newsletter!

Sincerely,

Diane Woodworth

Business Development Education Specialist

PS: If you have questions regarding construction methods, upcoming projects, or where to start on building a new facility, I would love to lend you a helping hand! Feel free to contact me at dwoodworth@weigandconstruction.com for more information.

Wheel of Fortune Host Snips Ribbon on New Media Center

Posted on June 25, 2024

A Special Unveiling

Donors, partners, and members of the Hillsdale College community came together to experience the new Sajak Media Center, complete with sets and special lighting filling the space! Named after the project’s primary donor, Pat Sajak, the former Wheel of Fortune Host and current Hillsdale Board of Trustees Chairman, the Sajak Media Center is a 6,453 square foot facility with the space and equipment to support Hillsdale’s wide array of media projects.

Before this new facility was completed, the Hillsdale Media Team would shoot their marketing and educational content in a studio in the Knorr Student Center basement. As their operations began to expand, the team’s output quickly outgrew the studio, creating a rising need for a new home for their video production.

A Defining Upgrade

The Sajak Media Center was conceptualized to help not only meet the Hillsdale Media Team’s immediate needs, but also support their growth going forward into the future with features like:

State-of-the-Art Soundproofing

Sprawling Studio with Space to Hold Multiple Sets and Shoots

A Green Room

A Makeup Room

And More

Beyond Better Production

This structure does more than just provide a better place to produce video. It strengthens Hillsdale’s deep library of online education courses that have been accessed by 1.7 million students.

“The center will also allow online learning and the visual arts team to have several sets available simultaneously, which means we can develop a more aggressive film schedule and produce more high-quality courses.”
Jeremiah Regan, Executive Director of Online Learning, Hillsdale College

We’re excited to see another amazing project go up successfully here on Hillsdale College’s beautiful campus. We can’t wait to see how the Sajak Media Center bolsters their high-quality education in the years to come!

Groundbreaking Sports Complex Project

Posted on June 25, 2024

A New Field for the Home Team

Community members, school leadership, and project partners came together in early June to celebrate the official start of construction on the new Baseball/Softball Complex for Goshen High School. Set to be built on the campus of Prairie View Elementary, the new sports complex is a project that comes after more than 60 years spent playing on existing, outdated fields.

“We had a baseball field, it was in terrible shape, I hate to say, I think it’s probably one of the worst baseball fields in northern Indiana. But our softball field wasn’t any better and that was at the park, and we couldn’t play the games there.”
Jim DuBois, Superintendent, Goshen Community Schools

A Better Playing Experience

With conversations about finding a new home for the baseball and softball teams starting 20 years ago, planning for this new facility has been a long time in the making. Some fresh amenities that will come with the complex include:

Baseball Diamond
Softball Diamond
Field Lighting
Turf
Press Boxes
Parking
Team Dugouts
Concessions and Restroom Facility
And More

Turf on fields will allow rain during the Spring season to drain more efficiently, preventing fields from flooding. This reduces the number of postponed games. On top of that, new lighting fixtures will allow for better visibility in the dark, making support for night games possible.

Better Access for Everyone

Parking has been a known issue at the field where the baseball team plays, but that problem will be resolved after this project’s completion.

“This plan there’ll be parking right there next to the softball/baseball facility. If we do need overflow, the elementary school here will have extra parking spaces. It would be after school hours so there’ll be plenty of room to park at the elementary school.”
Jim DuBois, Superintendent, Goshen Community Schools

We’re excited for the opportunity to partner with Goshen Community Schools and provide the softball and baseball players with a brand-new space that meets their needs now and into the future. Families and spectators can expect to see teams in action at the sports complex by 2025!

New YMCA Hits Project Milestone

Posted on June 25, 2024

Another Steppingstone

Locals, leaders, and community partners gathered in Muncie, Indiana to watch the final beam of the steel frame secured at the site of the new YMCA facility. This step, marking the “end of the beginning” of the construction process, is the first major milestone of the project. Set to be completed in early February of 2025, more accomplishments marking the facility’s progress will follow in the coming months as Weigand and its project partners continue to churn forward.

More Function

Once complete, the YMCA of Muncie’s new building will span 73,000 square feet and feature:

A Community Health Clinic

An Aquatics Center with Two Pools

Weight Room

Exercise Equipment

Gymnasium

And Much More

A Community Effort

On top of many great amenities, the new facility was made possible through the community’s support. Funded by many local organizations and donations, the YMCA will benefit more than membership holders through sharing the Aquatics Center with the local high school and the health clinic.

“This moment embodies the strength of our community coming together to build a brighter future. I am incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work that has brought us to this point, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact the YMCA of Muncie will have on the lives of so many.” – Chad Zaucha, President and CEO, YMCA of Muncie

We are looking forward to seeing this new YMCA building up and running for the good of everyone in the Muncie community!

The Intern to Employee Pipeline

Posted on June 25, 2024

An Excerpt from our Q2 Newsletter

My name is Alexis Gregory, and I’m a Workforce Development Administrator here at Weigand Construction!

How it All Began

The last time you heard from me, I was a first-year intern beginning my career in Weigand’s Marketing Department during the summer of 2023. Throughout that time, I visited numerous jobsites, interacted with superintendents and field professionals, got firsthand experience seeing amazing projects being built, did press coverage for events like groundbreakings, and much more.

Back to School

As the summer ended, I returned to college for one final semester before graduation. My internship continued, where I transitioned to WCI’s HR Department. From organizing career fairs to poring over job descriptions, I gained key insights into HR’s operations. Working on company event preparations and content creation also expanded my skill set. Despite numerous challenges, I embraced the opportunity to learn and grow.

On the Team

This January, I accepted a full-time position, combining aspects of my internship with new responsibilities. I now have the pleasure of attending career fairs, aiding in recruiting future interns and full-time employees, while also creating new resources for training and development. It’s been a fulfilling journey, marked by lessons learned and new experiences. I’m excited to see the internship program continue expanding, with 26 interns set to join us this summer—an even bigger class from the previous year. These interns represent various departments across our entire company, and I look forward to seeing how they impact Weigand Construction’s future. I’m thrilled to play a role in their development as they shape the company’s success!

Alexis Gregory

Workforce Development Administrator

Ministry Building Bridging the Gap

Posted on June 25, 2024

A Project to Shift the Region

Organizations, community partners, employees, donors, and residents from throughout the Fort Wayne community witnessed the grand opening of the brand-new Bridge of Grace facility. Introducing and expanding ministry services, this new construction is designed to house three specific functions of Bridge of Grace’s operations:

The Early Years Academy

Bridge of Grace Offices

The Alliance Health Clinic

Early Childhood Development

The Early Years Academy supports growth and development for local children between the infant and preschool ages. Covering much of the facility’s square footage, the preschool features:

Infant Rooms
Toddler Rooms
Preschooler Wing
Outdoor Play Areas
Indoor Play Space
Staff Lounge
Conference Space
Multipurpose Room
Kitchen

“We believe in natural wonder and fostering curiosity to provide a child centered learning experience. We believe children are precious and unique individuals.”
Early Years Academy, Westminster Preschool

A Brand New Office Space

The Bridge of Grace offices are set to equip employees for their everyday workloads with:

Conference Rooms
Cafe Area
Office Suites
Cubicle Layouts
And More

Professional Healthcare Services

The Alliance Health Clinic is a special healthcare center built to provide healthcare for those in the community regardless of financial challenges, complete with:

Therapist Office
Exam Rooms
Administrative Space
Lobby
Nurse Station

For a Greater Purpose

This project comes on the heels of many years of the ministry investing in Southeast Fort Wayne. Seeing an opportunity to revitalize and uplift an overlooked and underserved area of the city, Javier Mondragon Founder and CEO of Bridge of Grace Ministries, set out to serve and breathe life into a neighborhood whose people had been ignored and forgotten by many.

“Seventeen years ago, God decided to change this community, and what a privilege to be part of the change and the transformation that is happening here in the Mount Vernon Park [Neighborhood] and Southeast Fort Wayne.”
Javier Mondragon, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Bridge of Grace Ministries

We are honored to have joined forces with Bridge of Grace in this project that will directly impact lives through avenues like education, early childhood development, healthcare, and so much more. We’re excited to see how Bridge of Grace continues to pour into the community and change Southeast Fort Wayne for the better in the years to come!