Construction Team

The Akron Architectural Group includes:

• Braun & Steidl Architects Inc. (Jack Braun, AIA, President)
• GPD Group (David Granger, PE, President)
• Hasenstab Architects (Dennis Check, AIA, Vice President)
• Moody Nolan Inc. (Curtis Moody, FAIA, President)
• TC Architects (David Fenn, AIA, President)
• URS (Dana Mitchell, RA, Vice President)

The diverse group has more than a 50-year history of working in the city of Akron. Many of AAG's employees live and work in Akron, and several key members are graduates of Akron Public Schools. Notable Akron projects completed by member firms of the AAG include the John S. Knight Convention Center, Inventure Place, the Sojourner Truth Building, local community centers and the SUMMA Health System. Combined, AAG's work in Akron represents over $5 billion worth of construction.

AAG's strength lies in its experience with large-scale urban districts similar to Akron's. As a team, AAG brings internationally recognized experience in educational facility planning, design and construction.

AAG architects will work with Akron Public Schools facility planners, each assigned to a construction site. The Akron Public Schools planning staff includes John George, Fred Herr, Gary Reyna, Gerald Taylor and Kris Balchak.

AAG is located at 520 S. Main St., Suite 2531, Akron OH, 44311. The Akron Public Schools Architectural Department is located at 70 N. Broadway, Akron OH, 44308.

For more information regarding the Akron Public Schools school construction project, contact David James, business affairs, 70 N. Broadway, Akron OH, 44308; or call 330/761-2806.

Segment 3 Schools
GPD Group of Akron, Ohio, was jointly selected by Akron Public Schools, the City of Akron and the Ohio School Facilities Commission to lead the architectural and engineering design efforts for Segment 3 of the Imagine Akron Community Learning Centers project.

GPD Group was founded in Akron in 1961 as a full-service architectural, engineering and planning firm. The firm has more than 260 design professionals working at four offices located in Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Ind. All work for Akron Public Schools will be completed in its Akron office, which is located in the Canal Place complex at 520 S. Main St.

GPD Group has worked in the education market sector designing K-12 facilities since its inception in 1961. It is currently responsible for $400 million annually in construction contracts throughout Ohio. Its knowledge of the Ohio School Facilities Commission process, coupled with the experience gained with Segments 1 and 2 of the Akron Public Schools District Accelerated Urban Program, uniquely qualifies the firm to be an integral part of this planning team.

As with all of the firm’s educational projects, the efforts will be led by principals of the firm. GPD Group will be represented by the Principal-In-Charge, Mr. David B. Granger, P.E., and the Program Director, Mr. Mark S. Salopek, AIA. They have recent successful experience on K-12 facility design throughout Ohio. In addition, they have a 44-year history of working with the City of Akron. They also worked with the Ohio School Facilities Commission Expedited Local Partnership, Classroom Facilities Assistance and Exceptional Needs Program. The firm is a member of the Council of Educational Facility Planners International.

GPD Group has selected a team of architects to assist with the architectural design efforts in Segment 3. They include three premier Akron architectural firms and a world-renowned Cleveland architect:

• Braun & Steidl Architects Inc.
• Hasenstab Architects
• TC Architects
• Robert Madison International

This team’s strength lies in its experience with large-scale urban districts similar to Akron. As a team, they bring internationally recognized experience in educational facility planning, design and construction. In addition, many of their employees live and work in Akron and are graduates of Akron Public Schools.

The architectural firms will work directly with the Akron Public Schools facility planners, each assigned to a specific Community Learning Center. The Akron Public Schools planning staff, led by Mr. Paul Flesher, includes John George, Fred Herr, Gary Reyna, Gerald Taylor and Kristabeth Balchak.

Construction Management Team
The Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) adopted a project delivery system using construction managers to coordinate design and construction. The OSFC hired the construction management team of Ruhlin / Kenmore / Panzica / Stephens to provide construction management services for Akron's $800 million community learning center construction project.

The RKPS Construction Managers' Joint Venture team includes:

• Ruhlin Company (Jim Ruhlin, President)
• Kenmore Construction Company (Bill Scala, President)
• Panzica Construction Company (Tony Panzica, President)
• G. Stephens Inc. (Glen Stephens, President)

Michael Deiwert, project executive, and David Krutz, senior project manager, will oversee the project on behalf of RKPS and work as liaisons between the OSFC, Akron Public Schools and the Akron Architectural Group.

Together, the RKPS firms have nearly 200 years of construction experience. Notable local projects include the John S. Knight Center, The University of Akron Arts and Science and Polymer buildings, the O'Neil's Building, and the Plain Dealer headquarters in Cleveland. This joint-venture company utilizes approximately 400 local employees, more than 250 of whom are residents of Akron. RKPS is committed to a cooperative local-team approach and comprehensive construction management services for Akron Public Schools.

The role of the construction manager is to plan, coordinate and manage all phases of the construction process but not actually perform the construction work. The construction manager establishes a central office in Akron and sets up individual site offices at the schools to coordinate daily construction activities.

Projects funded with the assistance of the OSFC are multi-million-dollar, district-wide projects that involve multiple building sites and frequently require student relocation, staff coordination and community interaction. The construction manager will assist the district in making sure this entire process is thoughtful and well executed with a minimum of disruptions to the schools and surrounding neighborhoods. Ohio law requires multiple prime contractors for each school project, so a school district will have dozens of individual contractors working during the course of construction. All this requires a focused, coordinated effort provided by the construction manager over an extensive period of time.

The scope of services performed by the RKPS team during the design phase includes cost estimates to ensure the projects are on budget, constructability reviews, value engineering and cost-saving proposals, master scheduling services, bid package coordination, and OSFC Design Manual compliance reviews.

The scope of services provided by the construction manager during the construction phase includes contractor coordination and job-site supervision, comprehensive project scheduling, quality control and inspection, project fund accounting and budget control, maintenance plan coordination, and project closeout.