C.D. Smith Construction served as construction manager and general contractor for the Pulaski Community School District’s Sunnyside Elementary School addition and renovation in Sobieski, Wisconsin. The project included a 45,700 SF addition and renovation of the existing 64,000-square-foot school, impacting approximately 109,700 SF of space within a fully occupied facility.
Completed as part of the district’s $69.8 million referendum initiative addressing facility needs across seven schools, Sunnyside was among the most technically complex projects in the program. Growing enrollment had pushed the building to capacity, and the expansion required a solution that could modernize learning environments without displacing students or interrupting daily school operations.
For a full overview of the district’s referendum construction program, visit Pulaski Community School District: From Renovation to Reimagination.
Students and staff remained in the building throughout construction. That single constraint shaped every decision made on the project.
Phasing plans were developed with district leadership to isolate work zones, maintain secure student access and ensure uninterrupted instructional operations. Contractors worked second shift to complete the most invasive mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection work outside the school day. Work impacting core systems was sequenced around academic schedules, requiring night work, off-hour tie-ins and continuous communication with facility staff.
The existing building presented a challenge uncommon in most school renovations: a center core of classrooms and an entire basement level with no access to natural light. Early planning considered a larger addition to abandon the basement entirely or a courtyard to introduce light. Neither provided the best use of the existing infrastructure.
The solution was to carve a two-story collaboration hub from the center of the building and install a large skylight above it. Natural light now reaches formerly dark basement classrooms through the opening. The collaboration hub includes a learning stair with tiered seating for group instruction and project work along with flexible gathering and circulation space for students and staff.
The addition relocated Pre-K, kindergarten and first-grade classrooms along with the kitchen, cafeteria and front office, clearing the existing core to make the transformation possible.
The renovation required engineered temporary shoring systems to support existing structural components while selective demolition and steel replacement occurred. Remote-controlled robotic equipment was used to demolish portions of the structure and masonry walls safely, keeping workers on the ground and out of harm’s way.
A large crane removed sections of intact structure rather than breaking materials into smaller pieces inside the building, reducing demolition time and improving overall site safety. The shoring systems were also designed to double as weather-resistant barriers, protecting occupied portions of the school while the center core remained open during construction. This simplified the overall system and minimized disruption during one of the project’s most complex phases.
The completed project modernized learning environments and increased functional capacity throughout the building. Roughly 30,000 square feet of basement and interior space that previously lacked natural light was transformed into bright, functional classrooms at lower cost and lower environmental impact than new construction would have required.
Updated mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems reduce long-term energy consumption and extend the building’s lifecycle. Collaborative learning spaces and daylight-filled classrooms create greater flexibility throughout the school day while reinforcing Sunnyside Elementary’s long-term role within the Pulaski community.
Sunnyside Elementary was recognized as one of The Daily Reporter’s Top Projects of 2025 for its occupied facility execution, adaptive reuse strategy and transformation of formerly dark interior and basement classrooms into daylight-filled collaborative learning environments through the addition of a central skylit hub.
The recognition reflects the project’s technical complexity, phased construction within an active school environment and long-term investment in flexible learning spaces for Pulaski Community School District students and staff.
Read more from The Daily Reporter
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Date: May 2026 | Author: Tracy Lisowe
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