New York City's First Edible Schoolyard Wins Top Honor

MAULDIN, S.C., June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As the 2011 school year ended, administrators, teachers and students at Brooklyn, NY's P.S. 216 elementary school gathered with contractors, designers, fundraisers and project managers from The Gordian Group to share in the fruits of New York City's first Edible Schoolyard Program and to recognize the outstanding achievement of the construction techniques used to build the project.

The Gordian Group arranged the ceremony to recognize the New York City Department of Education's schoolyard garden program as the nation's most innovative use of the construction procurement system known as Job Order Contracting during 2010. As a result, New York City's first Edible Schoolyard received "The Harry H. Mellon Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting."

The Edible Schoolyard at P.S. 216 was designed to create and sustain an organic garden and landscape that is integrated into the school's curriculum, culture, and food program. It is the first facility of its kind in the United States designed to operate year-round.

Invitees included Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Christiane Baker, Executive Director of Edible School Garden of New York; Celia Kaplinksy, Principal of P.S. 216; New York City Dept. of Education officials and key contributors from the construction and architecture firms that worked on the project.

Construction of the $1.6 million facility spanned seven short weeks. The project transformed 28,000 square feet of school yard asphalt into a garden with ramada, storage shed, paved walkways and wrought iron fence.

Work began with plans only 50% complete. As the garden took root, weekly status meetings helped project managers and stakeholders keep the project on schedule in the midst of changing requirements. Numerous elements like the ramada, storage shed and wrought iron fence were added even though the project's aggressive completion date remained unchanged.

Job Order Contracting proved the perfect solution, offering the flexibility needed to handle plans as they evolved. The construction-procurement system was in place at the New York Department of Education and offered "on-call" contractors who were ready to work and provide competitively bid services. Contractors working with the system deliver specific construction tasks at set prices that can be added or subtracted as needed—almost like ordering from a menu.

"Seeing—and eating—the fruits and vegetables grown by P.S. 216's students really demonstrated the value of this project to everyone involved," said Robert Coffey, President and CEO of The Gordian Group. "Its unique nature, as well as the compressed timeline, are key reasons it was recognized with 'The Harry H. Mellon Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting.'"

The Edible Schoolyard program was created by Chez Panisse Foundation, Berkeley, Calif. The concept was brought to New York City by John Lyons, president of production at movie company Focus Features. As founder and board chairman of New York City's Edible Schoolyard Academy, he introduced P.S. 216's principal to the program several years ago.

The Gordian Group's Job Order Contracting system is a competitively bid construction procurement system. It enables facility owners to complete large numbers of repair, alteration, maintenance and construction projects for less money and time than traditional procurement methods.

Unlike traditional bidding, where each project is identified, designed and then put out to bid, Job Order Contracting is able to fast-track the process by establishing prices prior to work requirements being identified.

About the Harry H. Mellon Award of Excellence

The Harry H. Mellon Award of Excellence in Job Order Contracting recognizes excellence in principles and practices while identifying unique and innovative ways of using Job Order Contracting to complete construction projects. Repair, alteration, and maintenance work – the core of the Job Order Contracting system – is essential for the safe and efficient use of public buildings and infrastructure. While essential, this work is often not glamorous. This award recognizes the facility owners and managers who perform this important function in an efficient and effective way.

The award is named for the inventor of Job Order Contracting, Harry H. Mellon. He devised the system in 1982, which fostered a multi-billion-dollar industry that provides facility owners with a process to complete repair, alteration, maintenance, and new-construction projects more efficiently and effectively, while saving time and money. The award was established in 2008 and is presented annually.

About The Gordian Group

The Gordian Group, Inc. is a product and services firm that specializes in development and implementation of Job Order Contracting solutions for facility and infrastructure owners. The Gordian Group is the only full-service Job Order Contracting firm in the nation that provides products and services comprehensive, detailed and integrated enough to deliver rapid deployment and long-term cost savings. For more information, go to www.TheGordianGroup.com.

SOURCE The Gordian Group, Inc.