Foundations Academy Groundbreaking

The Weitz Company Breaks Ground on New Charter School

Foundations Academy is scheduled to open in Brighton in Fall 2010

Denver, Colo; – March 18, 2010 – The Weitz Company, National Heritage Academies and additional project partners broke ground on a new public charter school, which will open to students in the Brighton area serving grades K-5 in September 2010.

Foundations Academy will be housed in a brand-new facility, located on approximately 10 acres at 340 S. 45th Ave. in Brighton. The 45,000-square-foot building will feature 28 classrooms, including individual rooms for music, art, gym and library. The surrounding campus will feature a large outdoor recreation area, adjoining playground, a paved play area, spacious parking lot and attractive landscaping.

The school’s board of directors selected National Heritage Academies (NHA) as its partner to manage the daily operations of the school. The company also manages Landmark Academy at Reunion in Commerce City, which opened in 2007.

“The performance of the schools that currently partner with NHA is impressive. During the past 15 years, NHA has established a track record of success for ensuring that meaningful instruction is occurring in every classroom,” said Monty Overstreet, board president. “NHA’s cornerstones of academic excellence, parental partnership, moral focus and individual student responsibility are attractive to parents, serve students well and align with our vision for Foundations Academy.”

The Weitz Company’s Denver office will serve as the general contractor for construction of the new Brighton school. According to Bill Hornaday, Executive Vice President for Weitz, “This project aligns with our company’s commitment to the education of our employees, so we look forward to being a part of the team that will make this school a reality for families in Brighton.”

The school’s construction will be fast-paced, with a 17-week duration. The goal is to open the school with enough time for faculty and staff to get acquainted and situated in the building before the school year starts.

In addition to Weitz, local subcontractors who will support the construction efforts include ADK Electric, Design Mechanical, South Valley Drywall, Extreme Fire Protection and Fiore and Sons.

Foundations Academy will open with capacity for approximately 400 K-5 students and will add one grade per year during the next three years, eventually through the 8th grade, to serve more than 700 students. Foundations Academy will offer both a full-day and half-day kindergarten program. Student enrollment applications for kindergarten through fifth grade can be obtained by calling 866-NHA-ENROLL, in person at a parent meeting, or online at http://foundations-academy.org, and will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis.

About The Weitz Company

Founded in 1855, The Weitz Company is a national full-service general contractor, design-builder and construction manager with offices in nine states, the Dominican Republic and Guam. Weitz has been in Colorado for more than 50 years. The company’s expertise includes office, retail, residential condominiums, tenant interiors, resort properties, parking structures, industrial, healthcare, education, government and mixed-use facilities. More information about The Weitz Company is available at www.weitz.com.