Middle School Gym/Multi-Use Building Construction
ESUSD Breaks Ground on Middle School’s New Gymnasium Construction Project
The El Segundo Unified School District held a groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 3, 2022, to kick off construction of the all-new, 17,524-square-foot gymnasium and multi-use building for El Segundo Middle School. When completed in fall 2023, the gymnasium will be the first new building constructed at ESUSD in nearly 20 years.
The ESUSD Board of Education decided on the location of the building and directed the architect to begin design in November 2019. The decision was memorialized in a formal Board action in April 2021. The selected gym location at the front of campus complements the current building layout, makes it more accessible for community users, enhances perimeter safety, and incorporates an improved parking plan in the same vicinity. It creates a physical education area that is separate from the classroom area and provides a sensible layout for indoor and outdoor physical education activities and the adjacent student activities courtyard. The addition of the gymnasium also allows for the physical education classroom space to be converted to two much needed new science labs. Changes to the currently planned gymnasium footprint are cost-prohibitive and are not under consideration.
El Segundo Middle School is the only middle school in the South Bay and most of Los Angeles County that is not equipped with a gymnasium, and ESMS does not have an indoor space large enough for the whole school population to assemble. This project will not result in increased enrollment and the new gym will be primarily used for ESUSD students and programs.
The scope of the $19 million project will include the gymnasium, two classrooms to be used by 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.
ESUSD values green space and the development of this construction project examined different design iterations with the goal of maximizing usable green space. The net reduction of field space is 19 percent, regardless of the gym’s location within available space on campus. The green space currently on the northwest side of campus will be transferred to the southeast side of campus. Adequate green space will remain for current wildlife use, and ESUSD plans to consider other areas to promote green spaces, landscaping, and gardens.
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. There will be no dedicated outdoor lighting for activities, but rather timer-controlled lighting in the parking lot and around the building envelope per code for safety. Lighting will be placed to avoid direct impact on the neighbors.
“I extend a sincere thank you to our community for coming together for the successful passage of Measure ES,” said ESUSD Superintendent Melissa Moore in her closing statements at the groundbreaking ceremony of this milestone project. “YOU have made this all possible! Thank you to ESUSD employees, board members, community leaders, and most importantly to the voters of the City of El Segundo, for your support of our students at the El Segundo Unified School District!”