Location
Austin, MN
Independent School District #492 in Austin faced an enviable problem in 2005. Enrollment levels in the district's elementary schools were on track to increase 35% over the next 8 years. A steering committee of community volunteers and school representatives made the decision to not build another K-5 elementary school, but rather to build a new middle school for 5th & 6th graders only, called IJ Holton Intermediate School. Joseph led the $15,000,000 project starting in the fall of 2012 and successfully completed the project for the start of the 2013 academic calendar. Meeting the schedule was especially extraordinary since Austin had experienced record setting precipitation levels and cool temperatures in the spring of 2013, including rain 28 days out of 31 in May. The building is now a symbol of quality education in the Austin School District, and will benefit the community for years to come.