Neenah High School

Building the new Neenah High School — the second largest in Wisconsin — required effective coordination and communication to finish on time so students could begin the 2023-24 school year.

“This sheer size of this project was a challenge and unique compared to others,” said Tyler Crisp, project manager for Miron Construction, the project’s general contractor. “We did not start building vertical until February of 2022, so really we built a 460,000-square-foot school in roughly 18 months. That is pretty special in my mind.”

Coordination was a must with more than 1,875 workers on-site, 94 primary contractors and suppliers, 11 bid packages, 59 construction bulletins and more than 700 requests for information on the project.

The school complements the entire student experience — academics, activities, arts and athletics — and facilitates student and educator collaboration. The school includes flexible, hands-on learning environments, state-of-the-art tech ed shops for welding, autos, robots and engineering, an auditorium and black box theater, a large gym, a wrestling gym, a fitness center, large parking areas and outdoor sports fields.

Crisp said the project posed a challenge due to its sheer size and the amount of design team members, contractors and district stakeholders involved. A significant amount of communication was necessary to keep the project on track and ensure everyone was informed as the project progressed, he added.

Miron utilized the masonry MULE (Material Unit Lift Enhancer) on the project to improve project safety and efficiency. MULE serves as an extension of workers’ hands, doing the heavy lifting while the masons place the block.