Top Industry Leaders Break Ground on Six New Schools as Part of Innovative Alternative Construction Financing Project
Prince George’s County, MD (June 28, 2021) – The Prince George’s County Education & Community Partners (PGCECP) broke ground this week on six new community schools as part of an innovative, multi-school delivery program for Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS). Through this alternative construction financing project, top industry leaders will work together with district and community partners to create 3,000 jobs and build state-of-the-art school facilities for more than 8,000 students and families.
The PGCECP consortium comprises:
- Developer: Fengate Asset Management (Fengate) and Gilbane Development Company
- Design-Build Contractor: Gilbane Building Company
- Designer & Architect of Record: Stantec
- Services Provider: Honeywell Building Technologies
The consortium will address growing student enrollment, a middle school seat deficit, and rapidly aging school buildings through the Public-Private Partnership (P3) delivery approach. As a result, Prince George’s County will become the first public school system in the nation to leverage a full-scope alternative financing model to design, build, finance and maintain a multi-school K-12 construction program.
“It is exciting to be at this milestone, the ground-breaking for this vital project, as we are eager to see construction underway for this much-needed infrastructure,” said Mac Bell, Managing Director, Infrastructure Investments, Fengate. “We are honored to partner with PGCPS to deliver state-of-the-art schools for the students, educators and school communities in Prince George’s County and, on an ongoing basis, we are committed to ensuring the benefits of this project extend beyond the buildings, in support of scholarships, apprenticeships and community businesses.”
“At Gilbane, we have built a strong record of success over our 150-year history, but it’s critical social infrastructure projects like this where our development experience and commitment to community economic development run deepest,” said Edward Broderick, president and chief executive officer of Gilbane Development Company.
“This partnership is creating good-paying construction jobs today, investment into the local economy for years to come, and will ultimately result in state-of-the-art learning environments for students and families,” said Paul Choquette, Executive Vice President of Gilbane Building Company. “We’re proud to be a part of this initiative, championed and led by county and community leaders. Students deserve safe, healthy, and sustainable schools – they deserve the very best – and that’s exactly what we intend to deliver.”
Plans for the five new middle schools and one K-8 school promise engaging learning environments that exemplify what is possible when government and education leaders work together toward novel financing solutions. Approximately $174 million in savings is expected in deferred maintenance and construction costs, compared to a traditional construction procurement model.
“The collaboration of our consortium with the school district and community has led us to this significant groundbreaking milestone,” said Laura Sachtleben, Education Sector Leader for Stantec. “Together, we are creating learning environments that will engage, challenge, and inspire the students of Prince George’s County. It has taken a tremendous effort and partnership to quickly reach this point, and we are excited to be involved in redefining education facility delivery with this new model.”
“This is an exciting moment for the Prince George’s County community as it means it’s one step closer to new, vibrant learning environments for its students,” said Keith Fisher, vice president and general manager of Services for Honeywell Building Technologies. “Our team looks forward to creating a seamless facility management experience that allows the Prince George’s County Public Schools team to have better insight into facility performance to drive continued improvement.”
Groundbreakings for all six schools are slated for June 28 through June 30. All properties will be turned over to the consortium on July 1 to begin construction for delivery by summer of 2023.
It typically takes seven years from planning to building a school. Given present overcrowding at the middle school level and many aging schools, alternative financing offered an opportunity to cut that time in half to deliver schools long overdue.
“We have made tremendous strides in the area of long-range facility planning to advance from a capital program of primarily emergency repair projects towards a major modernization program with a plan to address each older facility in our inventory over the next 20 years,” said Dr. Monica Goldson, Chief Executive Officer, Prince George’s County Public Schools. “The Blueprint Schools initiative helps us accelerate delivery of new schools and modernizations for safe, sustainable educational facilities to fully support 21st century instruction for our students, staff and community.”
The project also features a commitment to community investment and economic stimulus, including guaranteed procurement of at least 30 percent of total eligible costs of the program to minority-owned businesses, community-based enterprises and community-based small businesses and creation of county-based jobs.
“We are Prince George’s Proud that our school system can be a model for the nation in school construction as we work to replace our aging infrastructure,” said County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. “Greatness grows in Prince George’s County, and our bright and talented children deserve high-quality learning environments that are befitting of their dignity. With this innovative partnership, we are making the critical investments needed to help develop our County’s next generation of leaders.”
PGCPS, the second-largest school system in the state, has the second-oldest buildings in Maryland. More than half of the 208 schools are over 50 years old. For more information on the PGCPS Blueprint Schools initiative, visit www.pgcpsblueprintschools.com.
About Fengate
Fengate is a leading alternative investment manager focused on infrastructure, private equity and real estate strategies. With offices in Toronto and Oakville, Ontario, and Houston, Texas, Fengate is one of the most active real asset investors in North America and the firm has been investing in and developing public-private partnerships and infrastructure across North America since 2006. Learn more at www.fengate.com
About Gilbane
Gilbane, Inc., a private holding company marking its 150th year in business, is one of the oldest and largest family-owned construction, investment and real estate development firms in the world. Gilbane Development Company is the project development, financing and ownership arm of Gilbane, providing a full slate of real estate development and property management services. Gilbane Building Company is a full-service construction services firm providing preconstruction, general contracting, construction management, and design-build services on some of the nation’s most complex projects. Gilbane’s Public Private Partnership Group has delivered or has underway more than $3 billion in P3 projects for healthcare, higher education, K-12 schools, and federal/state/municipal clients. To learn more, visit www.gilbaneco.com.
About Stantec
Communities are fundamental. Whether around the corner or across the globe, they provide a foundation, a sense of place and of belonging. That’s why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind. We care about the communities we serve—because they’re our communities too. This allows us to assess what’s needed and connect our expertise, to appreciate nuances and envision what’s never been considered, to bring together diverse perspectives so we can collaborate toward a shared success. We’re designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe. Stantec trades on the TSX and the NYSE under the symbol STN. Visit us at www.stantec.com or find us on social media.
About Honeywell
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.
Media contacts:
Amy Holmes
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Fengate Asset Management
amy.holmes@fengate.com | +1 647 297 5369
Stephanie Handfield
Director of Marketing
Gilbane Development Company
shandfield@gilbaneco.com | +1 401 456 5456
Lynn Rasic
Vice President, Global Communications
Gilbane Building Company
lrasic@gilbaneco.com | +1 212 822 0319
Susan Bender
Media Relations
Stantec
susan.bender@stantec.com | +1 267 773 9593
Megan McGovern
Director of External Communications
Honeywell Building Technologies
megan.mcgovern@honeywell.com | +1 470 449 6313