Pana District 8, Poettker cuts ribbon on new elementary school

August 20, 2024 24

PANA — Pana Community Unit School District #8 held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, August 15, to celebrate the grand opening of its newest elementary school.

Poettker Construction served as the construction manager and BLDD Architects worked as the architect for the new 67,000-square-foot two-story elementary school, which replaces the outdated elementary space formerly located in two separate buildings at Washington Elementary School on the west side of town and Lincoln Elementary School on the east side of town. Construction began in fall 2022 and was completed in time for the 2024-2025 school year.

“The new unified PK-5 elementary school is modern, functional, and flexible and a much-needed upgrade for our students and local communities,” said Jessica Miller, District Administrator of Pana CUSD 8. “Thank you to our partners Poettker Construction and BLDD for their quality and safety oversight in bringing this facility to life.”

Jon Carroll, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer with Poettker Construction, added, “We take great pride in our role as the construction manager for the new school and contributing to the creation of a modern and safe learning environment for our future leaders.”

Located at 209 W 9^th St., the new Pana Elementary School is broken down into two main zones. The first zone features the public and shared use areas, which include the administrative office, art, commons, food service, and ICC 500 Storm Shelter-rated gymnasium on the first level. The second floor includes a secondary administrative area, music, STEM learning areas, and a library/media center.

The second zone is the designated educational zone, organized with the PK-2 located on the first floor, and the 3rd -5th grades on the second floor. The classrooms wrap around the sides of the central gym, with quick access to and from that area. The campus also features an outdoor learning environment with a 1/8-mile walking path and three playgrounds tailored to different age levels. For student safety, a designated bus route will be created that is separate from the general parking.

About Pana Unit Community School District

Pana CUSD #8 is located in Central Illinois and serves 1,195 students in Pre-Kindergarten through High School. Pana CUSD #8’s mission is: “Working in partnership, Pana CUSD #8, students, parents, and community members, will each do his/her part to ensure learning and success.” The District has a longstanding tradition of academic excellence and is excited to join Poettker Construction and BLDD Architects in the construction of the new Pana Elementary School. The school will serve students in PK-5 and provide state-of-the-art facilities in which teachers can deliver high-quality instruction utilizing the latest technology in a 21st Century learning environment.

About Poettker Construction Company

Established in 1980, Poettker Construction is an award-winning family-owned business specializing in construction management, design/build, general contracting and self-perform services with an emphasis to exceed the client’s expectations. Poettker Construction provides safe, quality, sustainable, and technology solutions to clients in the Education, Distribution, Government, Healthcare, Hospitality, Municipal, Recreation, Retail, and Utility industries. The company prides itself on building long-lasting relationships with their clients, business partners and the communities in which they work. For more information, visit www.poettkerconstruction.com.