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The Grand Opening and Dedication of the new Bendle High School was held on Sunday, August 24 from 2:00-4:00 PM at 2283 E. Scottwood Avenue.

Exterior views of the new school building. The finishing touches are being finalized on the new high school so it will be ready for students when school begins this fall. An open house will be planned for late August.

The gymnasium floor has been painted and sealed and the finishing touches are being put on the media center that overlooks the football field.

Interior work continues on the flooring and walls. Views of a main hallway, locker room, classroom and restroom.

The building walls are going up and the roofing, electrical, plumbing and interior wall projects will continue throughout the summer.

Posted 12/11/2006

Demolition of Bendle Administration Building

The Bendle Administration Building located on Scottwood Avenue was demolished on Friday, December 8 to clear the site for the new Bendle High School. The Administrative Offices have been relocated to the former Griffith Court school building at 3420 Columbine Ave.

The Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Bendle high school was held on Saturday, October 28th. The ceremony was attended by Bendle community members, board of education members, the Bendle facilities committee, students and staff. Speakers included John Angle, Superintendent, Loretta Bendall, Board President, Mike Gwinn, community member, and Mayor Charles Smiley. After the ceremony, attendees enjoyed refreshments at the current Bendle High School. The ceremony was held at the former Bendle Administration Building. The administrative offices are now located at the former Griffith Court Elementary at 3420 Columbine Ave.

The plans for the new high school are in the final stages before being submitted to the State for approval. Everyone is anxious about getting started with the construction process; however, one of the most important elements of any new building project is to ensure that all details are covered in the planning stage. We did experience a delay due to the possibility of regulated wetlands existing on our property. We have now received word from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality that we can now move forward with the project.

One of the last phases for the final design is technology infrastructure. When it comes to technology, it is very important that you don’t build “a new old building”. We are planning for technology far beyond just the next few years. Technology planning is not just for classrooms, but for the entire building.

We are hoping to have the entire project out to bid by the end of summer with construction scheduled to begin this fall. We will publish the plans in the Bugle once they are finalized.

Following the passage of the Bond Proposal on Tuesday, November 8, 2005, design work began on the new high school, renovations at South Bendle, West Bendle, and the current Bendle High School. School Administration, the architects (Integrated Design, Inc.), the construction manager (Wolgast Corporation), and staff began implementation of the design phase of the project.

Building staff have played an integral role in assisting Integrated Design in planning room design and other building needs. Staff members and administrators have made visitations to other schools in developing additional ideas for the design of the new building.

Integrated Design has also been busy preparing bids for the asbestos removal at South Bendle, roof replacements at South and West, and interior door replacements at West Bendle. The renovation projects at the elementary buildings and the current high school will be phased in over a two (2) year period.

We are nearing the completion of the floor plan which will enable the architects to begin the final design of the building and submit plans to the State of Michigan for approval. Once the plans have been approved, the bidding process will begin for the project. Additional construction information and updates will be available in the next issue of the Bendle Bugle.