Renovation work on the former downtown Poplar Bluff bank building, purchased last year by the R-1 School District, is intensifying as the project moves along.
Brockmiller Construction, according to R-1 Superintendent Scott Dill, has “been doing some preliminary work for a few weeks now.
“We met last week and authorized them to begin moving forward on the wholesale demolition so we can get everything down to bare bones.”
Two large dumpsters have been in position outside the downtown building this week as crews work on the interior demolition.
“They’ve really accomplished quite a bit already,” Dill said.
Crews are removing interior sheetrock and other materials, Dill said, so engineers can determine if any conditions exist which may delay restoration.
“We’re making sure everything is what we thought it was,” Dill said. “After the interior demolition, we will be able to see what we have to work with.”
The interior demolition, he said, should take about a month.
“They’re moving quickly, and if things go well, we will have a fresh pallet upon which to proceed with the rest of the restoration,” Dill said.
The exterior of the building, he said, will remain mostly the same as its historical appearance.
“The historical facade and the exterior of the building will remain basically unchanged. We have some work to do there, but it’s mostly just tuckpointing and repair work to ensure it remains solid,” Dill explained.
Officials also will work to have a functional clock on the exterior corner, as in years past.
Internally, Dill said, is where all the major changes will occur.
“The interior, configured as a bank, wasn’t much use to the school district,” he said. “We’re working to have preliminary designs for what the interior spaces will look like.
“We’ve configured that into office spaces for central office personnel and meeting rooms for the board, and it looks like a solid plan. I’m excited to see it come together.”
“There’s a sense of nostalgia for the old bank there, and we’re going to maintain that exterior, but internally, it is going to be a new facility,” he added.
All the HVAC systems will be modernized, and all the wiring and power service to the building will be updated as well.
The time frame for completion of the overall project, Dill said, has been lengthened because of supply chain issues, but still is not expected to take long.
“At this point, given where we’re at — the initial work took a little longer than expected — I would say probably anywhere from eight to 12 months from now” before completion, he said. “Hopefully in 2022, we can be move-in ready, but there’s just too many unknowns at this point.”
The current administration building at the corner of North Westwood Boulevard and Harper Street, Dill said, will continue to serve the district.
“We have long-term plans for this facility,” Dill said, speaking from the current office building. “My goal for this, if everything goes according to plan, is to turn this facility into a regional professional learning center for teachers.”
The idea with that, he said, is to turn Poplar Bluff into a destination.
“Bringing people to town for professional education for teachers cements Poplar Bluff as an educational leader regionally and throughout the state,” he said.