Schools Rise Quickly in Arizona

PHOENIX -- March 7, 2002 -- Constructed as part of a new statewide program that provides poor districts with schools on a fast-track schedule, Lela Alston Elementary School was built in just seven months.

The 40,500-square-foot, $3.9 million facility is the first completed design-build project funded through Arizona Schools FIRST, a program that sprung from a 1998 law enacted to build new schools for districts with a weak tax base.

A simple design based on modular steel construction uses brick veneer wainscot and varying roof parapets for aesthetic appeal and gives the Isaac School District a building with a lifecycle of 50 to 100 years, according to construction managers at Modular Technology Inc., a firm that specializes in accelerated construction.

The project received additional state funding for energy-efficient features, including full-height wall insulation, 480-volt heat-pump HVAC units, programmable thermostats, automatic shut-off faucets, 1.5-gallon flush toilets, and a re-circulating hot water piping system.