Expanded Services & Campus Improvements at Great Circle
BSI completed the second major phase of expansion on Great Circle's 22-acre campus in Webster Groves, MO. Work included construction of a 22,600 SF gymnasium and related meeting/presentation/resource rooms, roads, additional parking, a maintenance building and site work. The new John T. and Janet Baumstark Community Impact Center and the new Orthwein Fieldhouse are now serving children and their families.
From Great Circle's website, "Our transformative vision for Missouri's children and families has come to life. [The campus expansion] created a regional hub enabling children and families to access more educational, therapeutic and social support and services when they need it most."
The previous phase of construction (also completed by BSI) involved expansion of the campus school, including additional classrooms and educational spaces, along with upgrades to the residential cottages. The latest round of work included expanded space to host community-wide programming, staffing, family resources such as conferencing and teleconferencing areas, and recreational space for team sports and individualized activities for kids and parents.
In a YouTube video tour that took place during construction, Mike Singer, Great Circle's Director of Gift Planning, said, "Hats off to BSI, our contractor. They've been great to work with."
Since that time, Great Circle also publicly recognized BSI, along with eight individuals, with a Circle of Caring Award, for volunteer service at Great Circle. BSI was recognized for its "extra effort" to connect with the children who reside and go to school on campus. According to a Great Circle news release, "On-site, BSI staff can regularly be seen answering questions about their work from children and staff, which Great Circle applauded as 'helping us not only transform our campus, but giving of themselves to help our kids.'" Another news release stated, "From digging the foundation to creating structural framework, from laying in brick to installing miles of electrical cable, it's been a wonderful opportunity for visitors, staff and clients to observe and learn about the construction process."
Senior Project Manager Steve Schrage says BSI employed an enhanced safety checklist while working on the Great Circle campus. "We've developed the level of protocol we use on a site like Great Circle after many conversations with administrators," Schrage continued. "We try to understand their needs and remain flexible." BSI is honored to have been part of this project to provide additional recreational and family resources in the form of a new community impact center and fieldhouse at Great Circle.
View this time-lapsed video here which contains months of construction video compressed into 120 seconds. Additionally, Great Circle posted this Topping Out Ceremony video on YouTube during construction of the new buildings. Other links to recent stories about Great Circle include:
"Masonry Rounds Out the Great Circle Campus" from the Masonry Institute of St. Louis, newsletter 24.1
St. Louis Business Journal's second annual Building St. Louis Awards, published March 23, 2018
"Coming Full Circle" from June 7, 2018, published in Ladue News
Great Circle is a statewide behavioral health non-profit organization that serves individuals, children, and families through a variety of educational, residential, and outreach programs. Great Circle has 20 locations throughout Missouri and serves more than 34,000 people each year.
