$7.5M church preschool project complete in Sarasota

A Naples-based construction firm recently finished building a new preschool for a church in Sarasota. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Preschool and DeAngelis Diamond marked the project’s completion with an Aug. 14 ribbon-cutting at the school on Honore Avenue.

The 15,000-square-foot single-story preschool building includes classrooms, administrative offices, indoor play areas, restrooms, storage and support spaces. It will operate as a licensed childcare and early learning center serving both church families and the surrounding community.

“We are excited about our expansion so we can provide for our community better,” Jennifer Oberlin, director of the Good Shepherd Lutheran School, says in a statement. “Come out and see us. We would love to show you around Good Shepherd — where every day is a great day to be little.”

The projected cost for building the school was about $7.5 million, according to Good Shepherd.

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Among the improvements to the site were additional parking, stormwater management, landscaped outdoor play areas integrated with the existing campus and new utility connections.

Project partners included James E. Toth Architecture, Kimley-Horn, Foundry Commercial, Lutheran Church Extension Fund and others, according to a statement.

“This project was a true team effort from start to finish,” Ryan Crete, project executive with DeAngelis Diamond, says in a statement. “We’re proud of what our team and project partners accomplished and excited to see Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and School begin welcoming children and families into the new space.”

DeAngelis Diamond specializes in commercial, multifamily and healthcare construction and has more than 45 faith-based projects totaling $200 million in its portfolio. Current work includes Faith Covenant Church renovations in St. Petersburg, the First Naples Multipurpose Building and new campuses for Hope City Church in Bonita Springs and Venture Church in Naples. Recently completed projects in the region include the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center in Naples and the First Baptist Church & Winterberry Christian Academy of Marco Island.