As featured in the January 2021 edition of the Illinois Business Journal
FGM Architects says work is helping communities stay strong
2020 will be long remembered as a year of unprecedented challenges. Amid all the turmoil, the work of local communities continues. At FGM Architects, the design team helped local leaders build stronger, more resilient communities by designing the facilities that shape
the landscape of our daily lives: municipal buildings, police and fire stations, schools, recreational spaces and more.
The team was busier than ever in 2020. While working remotely, FGMA completed facilities in communities throughout the region with a host of other projects in various stages of construction, design, and planning. Here’s a mosaic view of how the firm is helping communities stay strong.
Municipal facilities are anchors:
The new Roxana Public Safety Facility is a combined facility that houses village departments and administrative services as well as the police and fire department. The new facility replaces an antiquated Village Hall that didn’t meet the needs of this growing community. FGMA conducted a space needs assessment and engaged Village staff to design this single-story facility which features a shared public entrance and spacious lobby that leads to spaces tailored for the needs of specific Village department functions.
Roxana Police Chief William Cunningham offers these thoughts: “FGMA designers really listened to Roxana – they helped us to design a facility that strengthens our operational efficiency, provides convenience to our citizens and will serve as a centerpiece of the Village for generations to come.”
Slated for completion in 2021 is a major renovation/addition for Franklin County, MO that will provide a new 911 Emergency Management facility, a transformed Sherriff’s Office and expanded county jail. Design is underway for a major renovation and addition at the St.
Clair County Administration Building.
Municipal facilities require a major investment of public resources. To ensure that taxpayer dollars are used for maximum benefit, FGMA designers are working closely with community leaders to conduct thorough space needs analyses for a new Washington County Public Safety building, as well as a police department in Carlinville and fire station in Godfrey.
Communities need spaces for recreating and socializing as well as work. In 2020, FGMA completed the long-awaited the St. Peters Golf Club – just in time for the surge in popularity of this timeless sport!
Learning for all ages: While the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education, designing safe, state-of-art schools is at the heart of FGMA’s practice. In 2020, FGMA completed numerous
facilities renovations and building additions throughout the region.
These projects included new classrooms and a gym for Smithton Elementary School, expanded and improved facilities for the Alton Community School District and a major addition to Freeburg High School that will provide much needed space for growing student
enrollment. Design is underway for a new elementary school in the Litchfield Community School District.
Sports are key to learning and development; young athletes in the O’Fallon Township High School District and the Mascoutah Community School District are reaping the benefits of improved athletic fields.
On the higher education front, FGMA is building the Advanced Care Clinic which is an addition to the SIUEdwardsville School of Dental Medicine and has completed a range of vital maintenance projects at Southwestern Illinois College. FGMA’s long partnership
with Kaskaskia College continues with master planning for a range of renovations and improvements to this campus.
Keeping our Armed Forces strong: FGMA has a long history of designing and renovating facilities at military installations throughout the country. In 2020, FGMA in partnership with Poetttker Construction completed Pierce Terrace Elementary School at Fort Jackson Army Base in South Carolina which has received LEED Silver certification. Our firm’s partnership
with the Naval Station Great Lakes and Scott Air Force Base dates back several decades. In 2020, we completed a new six-story dormitory at Great Lakes which houses the U.S. Navy’s largest training center. At Scott Air Force Base, the team is currently working on the Global Strike Building 5008 Addition and Renovation.
Last, FGMA said it is excited to partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to design a new dining facility at the Little Rock Veterans Administration Training Center.
Strengthening corporate relationships: For many years, FGMA has worked alongside Moto Inc. on the design of over 60 convenience stores across five states. Over the last year, design and construction has started on stores in Belleville and the former ‘Dandy Inn’ site in O’Fallon, Ill., on Lincoln Highway; an addition to the Mascoutah location and an addition to the Chester, Ill., location.
FGMA is also working with Jack Schmitt Chevy in O’Fallon on an addition to its existing building. The team continues to build to its relationship with MidAmerica St. Louis Airport and seeks new ways to partner in the future.
A bright future ahead: For over 75 years, FGM Architects has continued to be a leader in the design of PK-12 facilities as well as public safety, municipal and recreational buildings. Founded in Mount Vernon, a town and county seat in southern Illinois, today the firm’s practice has expanded to Missouri, Texas and Wisconsin. With offices in both O’Fallon, Ill., and St. Louis, the St. Louis Region continues to grow and welcome new clients and new projects.
FGMA’s St. Louis Region Managing Director Kevin Meyer believes the firm is much more than just its completed projects. “After 75 years, FGMA continues to be a leader in design due in part to our team members who embody the firm’s values and beliefs in all that they do; whether it’s working alongside a client to ensure their vision becomes a reality and remains within their budget or staying in touch with a client after a project’s completion to make sure everything is to everyone’s satisfaction,” Meyer said.
