The El Segundo Unified School District held a Topping Out Ceremony on September 8, 2022, to mark a major milestone as the last steel beam was put in place on the new gymnasium at El Segundo Middle School. The all-new, 17,524 square-foot gymnasium is expected to be ready for the 2023-24 school year. When completed the building will be the first new building constructed in ESUSD in nearly 20 years.
“The topping out ceremony is a chance to thank those who have played an active role in the building process this far,” said Superintendent Dr. Melissa Moore. “The Board of Education is grateful for the active engagement the Facility Advisory Committee and Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee have had in advising the district,” The topping off ceremony includes community members signing the final steel beam prior to it being lifted into place. Often an evergreen tree is included on the beam as a symbol of life. “The ceremony is also to express gratitude that the building has been raised to the sky without loss of life or limb,” said Dr. Moore. “Miller Construction, the contractor, has maintained an excellent safety record on this project.”
The scope of this $19 million project will include the gymnasium, two classrooms for the PE program, boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, storage space, and a raised outdoor platform on the south side facing the new adjacent courtyard for performances/presentations and other student activities. To alleviate parking congestion, this project also includes an expanded parking lot along Center Street with 29 additional parking spaces for staff and visitors, and improved drop-off and pick-up traffic flow. There will be flexibility to use the new outdoor courts on the north side of campus for overflow parking during the rare occasion of large events.
From a sustainability and efficiency standpoint, the building design includes infrastructure for solar panels and future energy savings. Other features include water bottle filling stations and water saving fixtures. There will also be a water run-off treatment system and bio swale.
Dr. Moore expressed continued thanks to the El Segundo community for passing Measure ES. “Without the support of the community we would not be able to bring a much-needed project like this to the students of ESUSD and the community of El Segundo.”
