1. education
2. school

Construction Update
Dear Neighbors,
What a year it’s been!
On behalf of Hiawatha Academies, I want to extend a heartfelt “thank you” for your
support and engagement in welcoming our newest elementary school – Hiawatha
Leadership Academy-Northrop – into the neighborhood. We couldn’t be more
delighted about our Northrop home, and we are committed to a continued
partnership with you all as we see our Hiawatha scholars to and through college.
In that spirit of partnership, I am writing to provide an update on the middle school
construction project that Hiawatha Academies will be starting on April 6th, 2015. As you
are likely aware, our new middle school facility will be located on the south side of the
46th St. and 16th Ave. block – on the same campus as the HLA-Northrop building.
You are likely also aware that our network’s first high school – Hiawatha Collegiate High
School – will be temporarily using this new building until July 2018. At that time, our rising
HLA-Northrop elementary scholars will move into the middle school building, and our
high school scholars will move to a permanent site elsewhere.
I have attached materials on the facility project, including key project details, timeline,
safety and security strategies, contact information, and FAQs.
I will also be sharing this information at the March 18th FRNNG meeting. Additionally, in
partnership with FRNNG, I’ll be establishing a local advisory group, to ensure that we are
attentive and responsive to neighborhood concerns during the construction phase.
I’m confident you will find that this new facility matches the character of our
neighborhood, and that we’ve designed a construction process in consultation with
the City of Minneapolis that seeks to minimize neighborhood disruption and ensures
safety for all. After reviewing the attached materials, please feel free to reach out to
me directly with any questions: (612) 251.3139, or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Sean Elder
Chief Operating Officer
Hiawatha Academies
PROJECT INFORMATION
4640 17TH AVENUE SOUTH
MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55407
CONTACTS: SEAN ELDER - HIAWATHA ACADEMIES
612-251-3139
DAVE HANNAH - SCHREIBER MULLANEY
651-774-9440
HIAWATHA COLLEGE PREPNORTHROP MIDDLE SCHOOL
CONSTRUCTION
PROJECT MOBILIZATION AND PROJECT OVERVIEW
- Project mobilization and site set-up proposed date - March 30, 2015 - June 3, 2015
-Site Protecton Items - Temporary fencing, walkways, erosion control and construction entrances.
-Site Security Fence - Will be installed inside of the curb line, with concrete jersey barriers
placed in the parking lane to create a 4’ wide temporary walkway to prevent
pedestrians from having to walk in the street.
-Erosion Control - Will be installed to prevent soil run-off into the streets and sewers.
-Construction Entrances-Two gravel/rock entrances will be installed to prevent the tracking of soils into the street.
-Work Times - 7am - 5pm
- Site soil correction work - April 6, 2015 - April 24, 2015
This work involves backhoe equipment diging up soils under the building foundations and re-compacting
the soils to meet compaction requirements. There will be dump trucks removing excess soils from the site.
- Exterior building and site work timeline - April 27, 2015 - October 30, 2015
- New building construction timeline - April 27, 2015 - December 18, 2015
View looking West from 17th Avenue
Construction Site Map
Temporary fence, protective concrete
jersey barriers, and site entry locations.
Concrete Jersey Barriers, 4 foot
protected path from curb
Temporary Fence at curb line
17TH AVENUE SOUTH
Temporary Staff Parking
Existing Building
This part of the
sidewalk and the
playground will be
closed end of June
to early August
EAST 47TH STREET
EAST 46TH STREET
Proposed Building
Temporary Staff Parking
16TH AVENUE SOUTH
NORTH
FRNNG Community Meeting Nov. 19th 2014
Proposed 2015 Northrop Campus Renovations – 1611 E. 46th St.
Background and History
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In February 2012 Hiawatha Academies board adopted a 5 school strategic plan
Purchased property from Minneapolis Public Schools in March 2013
Immediately planned renovations to open Hiawatha’s 3rd school (K-4 elementary)
Named Potential for 5-8 middle school on south side of property in 2018
Phase I (Complete August 2014) – Elementary School Building
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$4.9 Million in Elementary School renovations and addition
Interior remodel plus new addition - 22 K-4 classrooms, computer lab, music, art
Refurbished playground, playfield, renewed landscaping on full site
Strong attendance at community open house on October 1st.
Phase II (Fall 2015) – Middle School Building
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February 2014 – Hiawatha board accelerated high school opening from Fall 2019 to Fall 2015
Current proposal for $8.9 Million new Middle School (Gr. 5-8) building construction
22 5-8 classrooms, media lab, bio & chemistry labs, music, and art room
Full size community gymnasium
Parking design to preserve grass play area
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High school temporary occupancy for 3 year maximum (2015 – 2018)
Summer 2018 - High school relocates to future campus
Fall 2018 - HLA – Northrop scholars start 5th grade at Middle School (Gr. 5-8)
Seeking Neighborhood Engagement, Partnership, and Feedback
Hiawatha Academies seeks input from our neighbors and the community on how best to continue to
make our Northrop campus a community resource that adds vitality to our neighborhood.
 Engagement Opportunities
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Transit and traffic strategies and planning with Hiawatha
Community Asset Initiatives: Use of Gymnasium/Field, Special Projects (ex. Composting)
Student Government and service learning engagement
Visit a Hiawatha campus and meet our scholars
Please contact us with any questions or to schedule a visit
 Sean Elder – COO: [email protected] 612-251-3139
FRNNG Community Meeting Nov. 19th 2014
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Hiawatha using the Northrop property to start the High School?
After the February 2014 decision to accelerate the opening of the high school, we started to search
properties in South Minneapolis. The limited time window available to open by Fall 2015 required us to
also consider our existing properties.
In addition, using a planned middle school development to incubate the high school supports a known
strategic need to have a middle school building for our existing Hiawatha Leadership Academy –
Northrop scholars in 2018.
How can community members be assured that the 3 year temporary high school period will in
fact be temporary?
The new development is being developed for and is only zoned for a middle school program. Hiawatha
is requesting and the city would issue an Interim Use Permit that would dictate that the campus could
only house high school scholars for 3 years.
Hiawatha’s full high school program will be eventually fed by two middle schools and will grow to over
700 students. The new development is not equipped and would not support that program.
In the fall of 2018 our existing HLA – Northrop elementary scholars will graduate 4th grade and will need
the new building for middle school.
What is the project timeline?
Construction will start March 2015, the gymnasium will be complete in August 2015, and construction
will be complete in November 2015.
What are Hiawatha’s transit and traffic plans during the temporary high school period and
once the building becomes a middle school?
All Hiawatha schools are closed campuses - once on campus, students cannot leave unless excused by a
parent.
High School Students will use public transportation similar to MPS schools and will likely use the bus
stops at 46th and 17th, 46th and Bloomington, 47th and Bloomington, or 46th and Cedar.
Cars and parking – in the 2015-16 school year, our 104 students will be in 9th grade (the majority will be
14 or 15 years old), too young to have a driver’s license. In addition, the vast majority of Hiawatha
scholars use public transportation, making them unlikely to own cars.
Foot Traffic and Loitering - Hiawatha has high expectations for academics, character, and discipline. All
students wear uniforms every day, making them easily recognizable as they travel to and from school.
Our staff, scholars, and families are committed to being strong neighbors and can offer additional school
staff, communication with school leaders, collaboration with student council, and service learning to
foster close relationships. We encourage visits to Hiawatha schools to learn about our school culture.