Project Overview

Dr. Claudia Thomas Middle School represents a landmark educational project that combined two existing middle schools—Woodbrook and Mann—into a single state-of-the-art 134,000-square-foot facility designed to serve 1,000 students. The new school, completed in Fall 2020, was built on the existing 22-acre Mann Middle School site while the original school remained fully operational, presenting unique electrical infrastructure challenges.

Our team was tasked with designing and installing a comprehensive electrical system that would support modern educational technology, specialized STEM laboratories, performing arts spaces, and extensive athletic facilities—all while maintaining power to the existing school throughout construction. The project required careful coordination with Korsmo Construction and architect Studio Meng Strazzara to meet the Clover Park School District’s tight budget and aggressive timeline.

Scope of Work

Our electrical contracting team delivered a complete electrical infrastructure solution for this new educational facility, including:

• Installation of new primary electrical service and distribution systems sized for the 134,000-square-foot facility with future expansion capabilities.
• Power distribution for specialized spaces including STEM laboratories, engineering classrooms, music suites, CTE (Career and Technical Education) rooms, and art studios.
• Complete lighting systems featuring energy-efficient LED technology throughout, with daylight harvesting controls in classrooms and common areas.
• Electrical infrastructure for the gymnasium, athletic courts, football field, baseball field, and track lighting systems.
• Emergency power systems including generators and automatic transfer switches to ensure continuous operation of critical systems.
• Structured cabling and power systems to support comprehensive technology integration in all learning spaces.
• Fire alarm and security systems integration throughout the campus.

Challenges & Solutions

The most significant challenge was executing a complete electrical installation on an occupied site without disrupting the education of students at the existing Mann Middle School. Our solution involved:

Phased Power Implementation: We developed a detailed phasing plan that allowed us to install new electrical feeders and distribution equipment while the existing school maintained full operation. Critical connections were scheduled during summer breaks and weekends to minimize disruption.

Coordination with Site Constraints: Working alongside Korsmo Construction’s innovative use of cement-treated base to address soil conditions, we had to carefully route underground electrical conduits and coordinate trenching to avoid conflicts with the existing school’s utilities and the contractor’s soil stabilization efforts.

Budget Optimization: With the district facing budget constraints, we worked closely with the design team during preconstruction to value engineer the electrical systems without compromising functionality or safety. This included strategic equipment selections and optimizing circuit layouts to reduce material costs while maintaining code compliance and system reliability.

Results

The successful completion of the Dr. Claudia Thomas Middle School electrical systems provided:

• A fully integrated electrical infrastructure supporting 21st-century learning environments with capacity for future technology upgrades.
• Energy-efficient lighting and control systems that reduced operational costs by an estimated 35% compared to traditional systems.
• Robust emergency power systems ensuring student safety and facility security.
• Seamless project delivery with zero unplanned power interruptions to the existing school during construction.

Through careful planning, innovative problem-solving, and close collaboration with all project stakeholders, we delivered a modern electrical infrastructure that supports the Clover Park School District’s vision of combining two school communities into one cohesive, technology-rich learning environment. The new Dr. Claudia Thomas Middle School now stands as a model for sustainable, efficient electrical design in educational facilities, serving the Lakewood community for generations to come.