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Phase IV projects nearing completion
By Ashley Vasquez
Construction on a multimillion dollar improvement project at the Smithville R-II School District is nearing completion.
Wayne Krueger, district assistant superintendent of support services, explained the progress of the facility improvements to the Board of Education at its regular meeting June 18.
Projects included in the Phase IV improvement program include a six classroom addition of the primary school; expansion of the primary school library media center; a seven classroom addition to the Upper Elementary School including three kindergarten classrooms; completion of an access road to Missouri Highway 92; a new central office and early childhood center facility; completion of new baseball field complex; a new aluminum grandstand at the football field for seating for 2,000 people, a press box and restroom facilities at the main football field; and artificial field turf at the football stadium.
Krueger said the new facilities at the primary school were nearly complete and district staff are hanging pencil sharpeners and putting up clocks and flags in the classrooms.
“All of the small items that need to be ordered, hung up and ready to go for the new school year are pretty amazing,” he said. “You don’t really think about all the work it takes to put those extra touches in place.”
At the Upper Elementary School, crews are installing the floor and ceiling tiles, and plumbing fixtures were installed last week. Work at the concession stand and new restroom facility is moving along quickly as well, Krueger said. Bathroom fixtures are being installed and cabinets for the facility were expected to arrive last week.
The athletic field complex is completely finished to specifications including the new press box and the new baseball field is nearly complete, Krueger said. The first baseball games will be played on the field next spring.
The new administration building will be move-in ready the third week of July. The floors and ceiling tiles went into place last week and Krueger said that facility was about 90 percent complete.
Krueger said he was pleased with the progress of the projects.
“In my experience, this is the earliest we will have a construction project of this size finished,” he said. “It will work out well because all of the construction crews will be out of the district by the time the teachers are ready to move back into their classrooms and before the students start back up.”
Krueger explained that the board’s decision to bid the ground work and site excavation jobs before the regular building bids helped move the projects along quickly.
“We were able to get to work on the ground work much quicker than before and we really needed that time,” he said. “The weather slowed us down this winter and spring but if we hadn’t already had the site work done, we would have been in real trouble right now.”
Dr. Rob Leachman, district superintendent, credited Krueger for the project’s success.
“Wayne (Krueger) has worked tirelessly on this project,” he said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better steward.”
In addition to the planned Phase IV projects, other construction will be ongoing at the campus. The district was able to save nearly $1 million of the Phase IV no-tax increase bond money to use toward other projects including
Bids for several of those projects were to the board in June and more bid approvals are expected at its July meeting.
The projects include partial exterior replacement at the middle school gym, which is already under construction; a roof replacement over the oldest part of the high school; reworking of the softball field; a new tile floor and front door replacement at the Primary Elementary School; the addition of a 500-set permanent visitor’s seating at the athletic stadium; playground equipment at the upper elementary school; projectors and SmartBoards for teachers; art display panels; re-striping of the track; softball lights; campus drive resurfacing; and weight room equipment.
Smithville Editor Ashley Vasquez can be reached at 532-4444 or ashleyvasquez@npgco.com.
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Wayne Krueger, district assistant superintendent of support services, explained the progress of the facility improvements to the Board of Education at its regular meeting June 18.
Projects included in the Phase IV improvement program include a six classroom addition of the primary school; expansion of the primary school library media center; a seven classroom addition to the Upper Elementary School including three kindergarten classrooms; completion of an access road to Missouri Highway 92; a new central office and early childhood center facility; completion of new baseball field complex; a new aluminum grandstand at the football field for seating for 2,000 people, a press box and restroom facilities at the main football field; and artificial field turf at the football stadium.
Krueger said the new facilities at the primary school were nearly complete and district staff are hanging pencil sharpeners and putting up clocks and flags in the classrooms.
“All of the small items that need to be ordered, hung up and ready to go for the new school year are pretty amazing,” he said. “You don’t really think about all the work it takes to put those extra touches in place.”
At the Upper Elementary School, crews are installing the floor and ceiling tiles, and plumbing fixtures were installed last week. Work at the concession stand and new restroom facility is moving along quickly as well, Krueger said. Bathroom fixtures are being installed and cabinets for the facility were expected to arrive last week.
The athletic field complex is completely finished to specifications including the new press box and the new baseball field is nearly complete, Krueger said. The first baseball games will be played on the field next spring.
The new administration building will be move-in ready the third week of July. The floors and ceiling tiles went into place last week and Krueger said that facility was about 90 percent complete.
Krueger said he was pleased with the progress of the projects.
“In my experience, this is the earliest we will have a construction project of this size finished,” he said. “It will work out well because all of the construction crews will be out of the district by the time the teachers are ready to move back into their classrooms and before the students start back up.”
Krueger explained that the board’s decision to bid the ground work and site excavation jobs before the regular building bids helped move the projects along quickly.
“We were able to get to work on the ground work much quicker than before and we really needed that time,” he said. “The weather slowed us down this winter and spring but if we hadn’t already had the site work done, we would have been in real trouble right now.”
Dr. Rob Leachman, district superintendent, credited Krueger for the project’s success.
“Wayne (Krueger) has worked tirelessly on this project,” he said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better steward.”
In addition to the planned Phase IV projects, other construction will be ongoing at the campus. The district was able to save nearly $1 million of the Phase IV no-tax increase bond money to use toward other projects including
Bids for several of those projects were to the board in June and more bid approvals are expected at its July meeting.
The projects include partial exterior replacement at the middle school gym, which is already under construction; a roof replacement over the oldest part of the high school; reworking of the softball field; a new tile floor and front door replacement at the Primary Elementary School; the addition of a 500-set permanent visitor’s seating at the athletic stadium; playground equipment at the upper elementary school; projectors and SmartBoards for teachers; art display panels; re-striping of the track; softball lights; campus drive resurfacing; and weight room equipment.
Smithville Editor Ashley Vasquez can be reached at 532-4444 or ashleyvasquez@npgco.com.