Topping Out Ceremony Marks a Milestone for Southeast Polk’s New Middle School

The Weitz Company proudly celebrated the topping out of the New Southeast Polk 6-7 Middle School project in Altoona, IA. The ceremony marked a significant milestone in the construction of the state-of-the-art educational facility.

The Weitz Iowa Commercial Project Team, joined by FRK Architects + Engineers and members of the Southeast Polk Board and Administration, came together to sign the final steel beam to be placed atop the structure. Attendees looked on as the project team carefully positioned the last steel beam at the main entrance of the new middle school. Following the ceremony, the attendees took a behind-the-scenes tour of the project, getting to see the building’s progress up close.

Spanning 210,000 SF, the middle school is slated to complete by June 2024. Ryan Catus, Senior Project Manager, expressed his enthusiasm about the event, stating, “This is a big milestone for the project. The structure is done and we’re moving on to the inside. Our next milestone is working on getting the building enclosed.”

The coming weeks onsite promises more exciting changes as the project enters the enclosure phase. With a keen eye for detail, the team will initiate exterior framing. This process will place a special emphasis on the curtainwall installation at the main entrance – the very spot where the commemorative beam now rests, and where the school will welcome students in the near future.