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Finding the right bricks for Godfrey-Lee construction

School reconstruction seamlessly fuses old and new

 Godfrey-Lee — One of the biggest challenges in the reconstruction of the Lee Middle and High School building was finding the right bricks.

“There were a lot of challenges in getting the brickwork close to matching (the existing building), considering sections of the building date back 100 years,” said Scott Bergman, Godfrey-Lee’s director of operations, transportation and food services.

With help from the project’s construction company, Owen-Ames-Kimball, the district found the perfect match for the tan-colored bricks. The project is continuing through the summer, as new lockers, carpeting, entrances and a stairwell to the high school from the middle school were completed. Also new is building-wide air conditioning, which Bergman admitted students and staff are probably most eager for.

“I am most excited that our students will be getting a much better facility to learn in,” Bergman said.

The restoration and renovation of the Lee Middle and High School is part of a $17.79 million bond approved by voters in 2020. The project was the result of damage caused to the building in a 2019 roof collapse. Architect for the project is TowerPinkster.

Photo gallery from Dianne Carroll Burdick

Read more from Godfrey-Lee:
Students think bigger by doing good
She came out of retirement to be a super-sub

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Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma is a reporter covering Kent ISD, Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville, Forest Hills and Comstock Park. The salutatorian for the Hartland Public Schools class of 1985, she changed her colors from blue and maize to green and white by attending Michigan State University, where she majored in journalism. Joanne moved to the Grand Rapids area in 1989, where she started her journalism career at the Advance Newspapers. She later became the editor for On-the-Town magazine, a local arts and entertainment publication. Her eldest daughter is a nurse, working in Holland, and her youngest attends Oakland University. Both are graduates from Byron Center High School. She is a volunteer for the Van Singel Fine Arts Advisory Board and the Kent District Library. In her free time, Joanne enjoys spending time with her family, checking out local theater and keeping up with all the exchange students they have hosted through the years. Read Joanne's full bio

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