Project

Our Lady of Lourdes High School—Poughkeepsie, NY

Our team was brought on by Our Lady of Lourdes High School to help guide the school through a major renovation of its athletic center. In working with Kate Merryman, President of Lourdes, as well as the archdiocese and the school’s board of trustees, we diagnosed the school’s major needs.

The renovation needed new windows and other comprehensive upgrades, as well as new fire prevention and public address systems inside. The largest component of the project was a state-of-the-art, collegiate-style renovation of the school’s fitness and athletic centers.

Prior to our involvement, the Lourdes renovation had been in the making for over five years. Though it had funding, plans, and the support of the community, it was struggling to get off the ground. Because our team specializes in seeing projects through from conception to completion, we stepped in to lead the charge on making the long-term dream a reality.

Blueprints

Construction on the athletic center first began in the early spring of 2020. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, moving the project steadily forward amidst uncertainty became a central priority.

Our main objective in joining the Lourdes project was to take initiative and lead the involved through the construction process, while also adhering to the desired timeline and budget. The project needed a quarterback, and as experts with decades of experience in project management, we were thrilled to step in and see it through.

Nuts & Bolts

Although the pandemic provided its own fair share of twists and turns, the most valuable takeaway from our time working on the Lourdes project was the importance of clear and consistent communication. There were many parties involved in the project, all at differing levels of comprehension when it comes to the construction process: the school’s leadership and board of trustees, the archdiocese, our team, and the local community.

Orchestrating successful communication during the COVID-19 lockdown was anything but simple—but we found it to be the key to our success. By keeping parties informed on a consistent basis, we were able to avoid miscommunications or misunderstandings.

Another important consideration when first starting on the project was an analysis of the building that was already in place. A former IBM building, the structure had a wide variety of alterations and inner workings that we needed to fully understand before introducing our own plans. By being cognizant of the existing conditions and doing our due diligence at the onset of the project, we were able to efficiently make decisions on how we would move forward.

Completion

The Lourdes athletic center renovation was completed in the spring of 2021, but due to the pandemic, the state-of-the-art facilities were first used by students in the fall of 2021.

The completed project featured new bathrooms, locker rooms, one classroom, a mud room, a multi-purpose room, a dance and music room, a strength and conditioning room, an athletic training treatment room, and ballroom. A corridor space was updated and renovated, as well as offices for the athletic director, and assistant athletic director.

The treatment room included installation of a hydro tub and Gronk Fitness Equipment (named for football player Rob Gronkowski). The result was a one-of-a-kind collegiate-style fitness center that is sure to last for years to come.