After deliberating for several months, Poplar Bluff R-I District board decided to move forward with the construction of a new junior high school activity center.
Amy Jackson, superintendent of finance, outlined the current proposal at the board’s Thursday meeting.
The 8,700-square-foot building will include an activity room, weight room, two Project Lead The Way classrooms and one band room. The new center will utilize the footprint of the current one, and will be constructed with CMU concrete load-bearing walls, wooden roof trusses, a standing seam metal roof and a brick veneer exterior.
Principal I Architect Brett Dille of Dille Pollard Architecture said the reasoning behind those materials was “durability, longevity cost.” Since the blueprint is still open to changes, he can coordinate with a contractor and look into other options if they seem more cost-effective.
“Now, we get a contractor on board early on and we will look at the options if, for example, we can get some light gauge metal trusses at less cost than wood trusses, we would go that route,” Dille said.
The current estimate including district contingency is $2.2 million.
“We talked about and discussed this in the past, with these kinds of projects that are larger due to the uncertainty of the market and availability of products,” said Jackson.
She and the board also wants to move quickly to ensure students can use the new building as soon as possible.
“I know the goal of our representatives here that work in that building is to have this project completed by August so our kids can benefit from the project, and I know it’s pushing it if the board approves it, but we would need to use the Construction Manager At Risk procurement method for this because this allows us to move forward quicker,” Jackson explained. “And we can begin the demo(lition) and start working on the foundation package ... prior to the architects having to have plans completely completed.”
During a question and answer session with Dille and project manager Shawn Huffman, board member Tim Gaebler pointed out the northeast corner of the blueprint appears to extend past the edge of a steep slope at the back of the building. Dille agreed the slope could be a problem area.
“We’ll look at that a lot closer and we’ll push it as far west as we can — that makes sense — and avoid that northeast corner,” Dille said. Also, geo borings will be taken around the site to determine soil composition and stability.
Jackson explained the school needs a new activities center because the current one is “not very usable” due to deterioration in the back. Superintendent Scott Dill agreed.
“I think this facility has outlived its usefulness to the district. It’s been a great facility,” he said. “Our kids deserve better, our junior high deserves better, and I for one fully endorse this. I think it’s money well spent. It will serve the needs of the district for generations to come. And it’s aesthetically, I think, going to blend well with the campus.”