FAQs

Yes. All Blueprint Schools are ADA accessible.

Middle Schools: 140 parking spaces for staff and visitors; K-8 School: 220 parking spaces for staff and visitors.

Middle Schools: 1/3 of the student capacity or 400 students; K-8 School: 667 students equally split across upper and lower grades.

All Blueprint Schools are on schedule for occupancy the start of SY 2023 – 2024.

Blueprint Schools, PGCPS’ Alternative Construction Finance (ACF) program, is a design-build-finance-maintain school project delivery model. The awarded development team, Prince George’s County Education Partners (PGCECP) accelerates the creation of six new schools within three (3) years, a process that would otherwise take 12-15 years.

Blueprint Schools, PGCPS’ Alternative Construction Finance (ACF) program, is a design-build-finance-maintain school project delivery model. The awarded development team, Prince George’s County Education Partners (PGCECP) accelerates the creation of six new schools within three (3) years, a process that would otherwise take 12-15 years.

No. PGCPS retains ownership and sole decision-making authority of the operation and use of all Blueprint Schools.

Middle Schools: 1,200 students; K-8: 2,000 students.

Bluprint Schools are built with a minimum of LEED Silver certification.

All Prince George’s County-based businesses and minority owned businesses are eligible to participate. PGCECP conducts monthly recruitment fairs to share opportunities, prep business owners, and encourage match-making.

PGCPS has completed final contract negotiations with the selected project development team, Prince George’s County Education & Community Partners.  Design and permitting will take place throughout 2021. Construction on the six schools will begin in the summer and fall of 2021 and continue through July of 2023. The facilities management contract for the new schools is a 30-year term that will run from 2023 – 2053.

• Adelphi Area Middle School, Adelphi, MD
• Hyattsville Middle School, Hyattsville, MD
• Kenmoor Middle School, Landover, MD
• Drew-Freeman Middle School, Suitland, MD
• New Southern Area K-8 School, Fort Washington, MD
• Walker Mill Middle School, Capitol Heights, MD

Each of the five new middle schools are designed for 1,200 students. New Southern Area K-8 will house 800 elementary school students and 1,200 middle school students.

Prince George’s County Education and Community Partners (PGCECP) is led by Fengate Capital Management and Gilbane Development, two of North America’s leading alternative project delivery firms. Gilbane Building Company and Stantec will serve as the Design-Build team, and Honeywell International will be the Facilities Services firm.

Yes. PGCECP is in the process of developing an employment and construction/facilities management contracting opportunities plan. Over the next few months, we will post this plan to our website and continue to update it on a monthly basis. PGCECP will also be partnering with a variety of County and State of Maryland employment and business associations to disseminate employment and contracting opportunities.

All construction bids and contracts will be issued and awarded through Gilbane’s ibidpro platform. All interested contractors and vendors will need to prequalify their firms through ibidpro. It can be accessed at ibidpro.com. Beginning in 2022 Honeywell will begin their contractor outreach program to support the facilities maintenance requirements of this program.

We plan to host monthly virtual MBE/CBB outreach sessions, as well as monthly virtual technical ibidpro prequalification sessions. These will begin in November 2020 and run for the next 6-9 months. Please keep an eye on the calendar of events tab on the website.

We anticipate that our construction scopes of work will be identified in Q1 2021. Bid schedules should also be finalized by the end of Q1 2021 as well. Please note that bidding will likely take place from Q2 through Q4 2021 depending on the bid package.

Each of the prime team members (Gilbane, Stantec and Honeywell) and many of our partners plan to provide summer internship opportunities for Prince George’s County residents. We will post internship opportunities and contact information on our website. As we begin to onboard major trade contractors in 2021, we will also list internship opportunities for these specialty trades and their contact information. Stay tuned in 2021 as we begin to select our various trade contractors.

Apprenticeship opportunities are primarily going to be sponsored by the trade contractors that are selected for this contract. During the bidding process these contractors will make commitments to apprenticeship opportunities that they will sponsor. As soon as these contractors are selected, we will update the website with the names and contact information for the selected firms and the contact information at those forms regarding apprenticeship inquiries.

Yes, at all levels. All employment opportunities for prime contractors, subcontractors and the facilities maintenance firm will be provided to Employ Prince George’s, who will act as one of the clearing houses for employment opportunities for this multi-school construction and maintenance program. As subcontractors are selected their employment needs to fulfill their individual contracts will also be provided to Employ Prince George’s.

Both Gilbane and Stantec have already selected local Prince George’s County firms to serve in a mentor-protégé relationship during the design-build phase of the program, and we will look to add other firms in 2021. There will also be considerable mentor-protégé opportunities at the trade contractor level, once those firms are selected in 2021. As trade contractors are selected, we will post their mentor-protégé contact information on this website.

Provided students or recent graduates are over 18 years of age there will be opportunities for them to get involved through employment, internships or educational programs. Our team is meeting with CTE leadership in November to discuss opportunities to involve students and graduates in this program.

The PGCECP design-build team is engaged with DPIE to develop an optimal traffic plan that will have the least impact on the surrounding community.

The timing of the community services will be based on what the Adelphi community and school-based Project Planning Committee identifies as being a need. From there, a Community Impact Plan will be developed to include a proejct description and timeline.

Yes. The entrance and exit from the school site will be off of Riggs Road.

School principals lead the effort of selecting members of the Project Planning Committee.

Construction site logistics town halls will be available to the community members starting in January, 2021. In those meetings, the construction team will discuss site activity, traffic flow, and timeline. The team will aim to organize construction-related vehicular activity in a manner that has the least amount of impact to the surrounding community.

Yes. All Blueprint Schools contain music practice rooms designed to meet required specifications for instruments.

Optimal locations and use of all rooms are being reviewed and discussed by Drew-Freeman’s Project Planning Committee.

There are six small group rooms distributed around all Blueprint Middle Schools. In addition to the small group rooms, each Blueprint School will have collaborative spaces on each floor of the academic wing. Specific location of these spaces are being reviewed and discussed with Drew-Freeman’s Project Planning Committee with consideration of the school’s programmatic needs.

It is anticipated that there will be walking access between the new Drew-Freeman Middle School and the new Suitland High School.

All fields meet the required dimensions as set forth in the PGCPS Educational Specifications.

Yes. All Blueprint Schools have compter labs. Blueprint Schools open with 1:1 students to computers in a high-functioning wireless network environment. Laptop carts, task specific computers, e.g. for digital arts, are available for students and teachers anywhere, anytime.

Classrooms are equipped with mounted/mobile interactive boards and audio enhancement systems. Additional tools, e.g. document readers, participation clickers, etc., will be determined and provided by PGCPS.

No. The program is simply re-orienting the new middle school on existing school property.

Blueprint Schools news and updates are shared with stakeholders (school leadership, parents, students, community members, elected officials, etc.) through monthly town halls and CBB/CBSB/MBE conferences. All communication is shared through PGCPS, PGCECP, civic/community organizations and your county/city elected officials. The Blueprint Schools office is more than willing to work with groups outside of the aformentioned to plan additional outreach. The website www.pgcpsblueprintschools.com serves as a main depository of all program information: project updates, event announcments, community asset tracking, and more.

Lockers are located in each corridor of the academic wing.

Specific access points and space accomodations are discussed and evaluated with each school’s Project Planning Committee (PPC) as the design advances.

The gymnasium will hold 600 people. School amenities will be available for use by the community as determined by PGCPS and school administration.

Multi-purpose fields are part of PGCPS’ educational specifications for all new schools. Multi-purpose fields are designed to accomodate a wide-variety of sports making it possible for principals to customize the sporting experience at your school.

The PGCECP design-build team is engaged with the City of Hyattsville and DPIE to develop an optimal traffic plan that will have the least impact on the surrounding community.

Dedicated performance spaces, eg. auditoriums/blackbox spaces, are not part of PGCPS’ educational specifications for the new schools. However, ‘big box’ spaces in each school (i.e., cafeterias and gyms) are designed to accommodate performers/presenters and an audience. Furthermore, the program is reviewing and presenting options for stage placement and unique utilization of existing spaces with Hyattsville’s Project Planning Committee.

The PGCECP design-build team is engaged with DPIE to develop an optimal traffic plan that will have the least impact on the surrounding community.

Gardening and outdoor learning are part of PGCPS’ educational specifications for Blueprint Schools. Design of the outdoor spaces are being further developed in consultation each schools’ Project Planning Committee.

Construction of the new school will occur on the existing outdoor field space. Upon completion of the school outdoor recreational space will be available for use again.

Yes. All Blueprint Schools have compter labs. Blueprint Schools open with 1:1 students to computers in a high-functioning wireless network environment. Laptop carts, task specific computers, e.g. for digital arts, are available for students and teachers anywhere, anytime.

Classrooms are equipped with mounted/mobile interactive boards and audio enhancement systems. Additional tools, e.g. document readers, participation clickers, etc., will be determined and provided by PGCPS.

Construction site logistics town halls will be available to the community members starting in January, 2021. In those meetings, the construction team will discuss site activity, traffic flow, and timeline. The team will aim to organize construction-related activity in a manner that has the least amount of impact to the surrounding community.

As part of the analysis of determining the location for the new school, Potomac Landing was considered. However, the school site was not large enough to accomodate the school program i.e. number of students, number of classrooms, etc.

There are two entrances, as part of the design, onto the school site at Fort Washington Road and Swan Creek Road. Neither entrance will be at the roundabout.

An outdoor track and field is not part of PGCPS’ Blueprint Schools educational specifications for K-8 schools.

We do not anticipate the expansion of HWY 210 having any significant impacts on the school site.

Community-use spaces are areas of the school that are intended to be accessible to community members/groups during after-school hours. What occurs in the spaces are typically determined by the community and school principal. The intention is that the space will be an asset to both the school and surrounding community.

Field lighting is not included in the design of Blueprint Schools.

The PGCECP design-build team is engaged with DPIE to develop an optimal traffic plan that will have the least impact on the surrounding community.

The inclusion of stormwater mangement in new K-8 school building design is anticipated to mitigate flooding impacts on the surrounding community. It is not anticipated that the construction of the new school will cause flooding impacts. Construction site logistics town halls will be available to the community members starting in January, 2021. In those meetings, the construction team will discuss site activity, traffic flow, and timeline.

Yes. All Blueprint Schools have compter labs. Blueprint Schools open with 1:1 students to computers in a high-functioning wireless network environment. Laptop carts, task specific computers, e.g. for digital arts, are available for students and teachers anywhere, anytime.

Classrooms are equipped with mounted/mobile interactive boards and audio enhancement systems. Additional tools, e.g. document readers, participation clickers, etc., will be determined and provided by PGCPS.

Accoustical treatments will be applied throughout the school to reduce noise. Per PGCPS’ eductional specifications, one pair of classrooms per wing will have a removable partition intended for collaborative learning.

Lockers are located in each corridor of the academic wing.