Submitted By: Ken Bradley, Project Manager

Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis' east side is a unique institution. In addition to the occupational driven curriculum, the site was at one time a US military arsenal. In 1903 the federal government closed the arsenal. In 1912 the City of Indianapolis was growing and needed a location to hold an overflow of students from two high schools. The empty arsenal made an ideal location for a school.

When it was decided that the school was long overdue for improvements, Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) selected Shiel Sexton to provide construction services to transform the civil war era weapons facility into a 21st century education facility. The $16 million first phase included; installing a new HVAC system, larger classrooms were built as well new science rooms, and wiring was updated and safety features were added. To provide the least amount of disruption of learning, much of the project was done at night or in the summer. To create as much activities space as possible, we worked closely with the design team to place all air-handling units in the existing attic space. The $7.6 million phase II included; replacing the rest of the HVAC system, replaced old ceilings and improved lighting in the music area, cafeteria, and west gym, as well as adding restrooms throughout campus, improved security and resolving ADA compliance issues.

The project has had its share of challenges, but we have always been able to overcome the problems through collaboration and ingenuity. As we move into the phase III renovation and upgrades to several buildings totaling 415,000 square feet, we will once again work collaboratively to overcome the challenges that such a historic site will bring. The history and the lore surrounding this site has been interesting to learn and filled with fascinating stories and legends. Beyond the fascinating history and lore the best part of this project for me has been helping to further IPS' goal of providing high quality facilities and education for our students.

Labels: Arsenal Tech, Indianapolis Public Schools, Ken Bradley

The Indianapolis Star printed an article about the Marquette project in the Sunday December 27th edition of the paper. Check out the article below.

December 27th Marquette Article

Labels: Indianapolis Senior Living, Lissa Woods, Marquette

Submitted by: John Andrews

Shiel Sexton was recently honored by the construction trade magazine "Midwest Construction" in its "Best of 2009 Awards" issue for December. The magazine competition drew 128 entries to the contest this year. A team of judges, who are experts in the fields of engineering and construction, chose 44 winners across 20 categories.

Shiel Sexton received a "Best of 2009 Award of Merit", in the category of Worship, for the construction on the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Carmel Indiana. The church is loosely modeled after the Hagia Sophia and is unique to the midwest. In fact, this is the first Triad Byzantine-design church constructed since the Hagia Sophia in over 1,400 years.

Click here to see the press release announcing the winners.

Labels: Best of 2009 Awards, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, John Andrews, Midwest Construction

Submitted by: Kevin Potter, VP of Human Resources

Over the past 5 years Shiel Sexton has given over $2.6 million and its employees have given over 54,000 hours back to the community. At Shiel Sexton employees are given opportunities to volunteer during work hours without having to make up the hours they are volunteering. We are so proud of our employees for taking the initiative to find places and ways to volunteer on their own accord. This holiday season, while there is much to be thankful for, there are plenty in need and also plenty of opportunities to give back.

Volunteer: There are many places around every town that need your physical help, not just monetary help. A good website to visit to find opportunities to help in your area is http://www.volunteermatch.org/. This can be anything from packing goods up for the elderly to mentoring kids.

Donate Money: Giving even the smallest amount of money can help someone a long way. This time of year is a great time to "adopt a family or child" to be sure they can have something for the Holidays. You can also donate money at most stores to different causes around the Holiday Season.

Donate Goods: Donating gently used clothing or shoes won't cost you anything either. There are plenty of drives, especially in the winter months for coats, gloves, scarves and hats. There are also many sites that allow you to donate calling cards or care packages for our troops overseas. As a business, you can hold a drive at your work and see huge returns because it is convenient and people don't have to go out of their way to donate.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to give back to your local community without it costing much, if anything and there are benefits for everyone young and old. So this season, find a way to give back to the community and you'll be glad you did.

Labels: donate, Kevin Potter, volunteer, volunteermatch

Submitted by: Cameron Smith, LEED AP, Project Engineer

Today more than ever, individuals and businesses are looking for new ways to reduce their energy costs. As world-wide energy supplies dwindle and the threat of increased energy costs hang over consumer's heads, this topic has become a major talking point in the business world.

Shiel Sexton is doing their part to provide clients with opportunities to address these concerns through a number of techniques. One such example of a recent project involved a University's new Pharmacy and Health Sciences Building. The University was looking for ways to reduce energy costs for their new building. Through discussions with the project team they decided to utilize occupancy motion sensors for lighting throughout the facility. The motion sensors detect when people are present and more importantly when there is no one present. When the sensor does not detect any one, it will automatically shut off the lights in the room. Lighting accounts for 30% to 50% of a buildings energy use, so simply turning off the lights can reduce direct lighting energy consumption up to 45%. That adds up to a significant savings over time.

At Home
As the weather gets colder home energy costs go up, but you don't have to buy motion sensing lights to save money at home. By turning off the lights when you leave a room you can decrease your lighting costs. Below are several other simple techniques that can be done to save energy, and save you money, in the winter months.

Turn Down Your Water Heater
Most water heaters are set to a temperature of 140 degrees F by installers, typical households don't require this much heat, and end up paying for it, whether it be in dollars or the occasional 2nd degree burn. Lowering the temperature to 120 degrees F (or lower) could reduce your water heating costs by 6% to 10%.

Think About The Thermostat
Programmable thermostats are an easy and inexpensive way to reduce your heating bill. A typical household shells out 50-70% of their energy budgets on heating and cooling, so programming your thermostat to turn down when you are not home can save you between 1-3% on your energy bills.

Bundle Up
Be like Mr. Rogers and dress warmer for winter, even inside. More or less, a light long-sleeved sweater is worth about 2 degrees in added warmth, while a heavy sweater adds about 4 degrees. So snug up and start saving.

It is important to note that all of these home energy saving tips are inexpensive and can be done in very little time. So, why not be green and save green in the coming year.

Labels: Cameron Smith, Energy Savings, Green, Save Money, Winter Tips