Coffman Engineers Begins Work on New Cook Inlet Native Head Start Facility
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, October 14, 2019 (Newswire.com) - Coffman Engineers, Inc. is pleased to announce that work has begun on a new Cook Inlet Native Head Start (CINHS) facility following a land purchase in Anchorage. The facility is currently under design.
CINHS purchased an undeveloped 3.8-acre lot in Anchorage near 16th and C Street, on which they will construct the new Head Start facility. The site is located adjacent to the Chester Creek multi-use trail, allowing for easy access to the trail, surrounding greenbelt, and nearby Valley of the Moon Park. The land purchase was an important step in providing childcare facilities that are easily accessible by the community.
Coffman is partnering with MCG Alaska and Cadence General Contractors to design and construct the new 17,000 square foot facility, which will support CINHS’s mission to “Build Strong Foundations with Alaska Native Families through Alaska Native Cultures and Education.” The facility will create a sense of Alaska Native cultures, place, safety, and belonging through integration of all five Alaska Native cultural groups. The building design will be inclusive of multi-generational, non-nuclear families, and will be designed sustainably to exhibit care and response for the natural environment.
“We’re excited for the opportunities our children and families will have to learn and interact in an environment that incorporates traditional indigenous structures and elements into a contemporary Native educational facility,” said Ethan Petticrew, Executive Director of CINHS.
The new facility will have eight classrooms to serve Head Start children from six weeks to five years of age. A CINHS community gathering space will be an integral part of the building design. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall, with the building being completed and occupied during Winter 2020. Funding for the new facility was provided through two grants from the Office of Head Start. One grant added 32 slots for babies 6 weeks to 3 years old, and the other changed slots from part-day classes to full day.
About Coffman Engineers
Coffman Engineers is celebrating 40 years of providing clients with multidiscipline engineering solutions. Our services include civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, fire protection, commissioning, process piping, instrumentation and controls, corrosion control, alternative and renewable energy, and land surveying. For firm information, visit coffman.com.
Source: Coffman Engineers, Inc.
