Plans for a new downtown facility for the Poplar Bluff R-I School District offices ended Thursday as the school board voted to sell the building rather than pursue an expensive renovation plan.
The building saw cost estimates balloon to around $6 million after internal demolition revealed structural issues requiring further work. The project was postponed earlier this year after those bids came in.
The other option for the building was a slow renovation over four years at an estimated cost of $1.5 million per year.
The district will offer the building as a “For Sale By Owner” opportunity until the end of the year. Should a buyer not be found, the district will retain a real estate agent beginning in January 2024.
The new Junior High Activity Center is still on schedule to open on Nov. 4, according to Assistant Superintendent for Finance Charles Kinsey. The board approved the 12th payment of $297,282.56 to CE Norton Construction for the project.
Kinsey advised the board on the progress of construction for the new Culinary Arts Center at the Technical Career Center. The completion date has been delayed to January 2024, mainly due to the availability of doors for the new facility.
Kinsey also reported the district has met the cash match for the Community Development Block Grant, and the next $500,000 of costs will come from that grant.
With a total estimated cost of $2.1 million, and grant funds approximately $1.3 to $1.4 million. The district’s cost will not exceed $800,000 for the state-of-the-art culinary center.
The board approved further renovations at the PBTCC, authorizing a total of $330,650 to Meinershagen Roofing for the A and B building roof replacement.
These funds are part of a 75/25 grant match for the total cost, with grant funds paying three-quarters of the total cost of the project.
The state of Missouri has allocated $27 million to detect and alleviate lead in the water at all public schools. Poplar Bluff’s share of those funds is $317,000, and all possible drinking sources across the district must be addressed by Aug. 1, 2024.
The board approved the low bid for lead testing from St. John Environmental Consulting of St. Louis, with a low bid of $22,382. Four other vendors submitted higher bids, ranging from $29,000 to $48,000.
High school principal Dr. Valerie Ivy reported that last year’s graduation rate was 93.4%, up one-half percent from the previous year.
While it was a small increase, Ivy said, “We are finally recovering from the COVID dip in our graduation rate.”
In other graduation news, the board approved the recommendation from Superintendent Dr. Aaron Cornman to adjust the calendar to ensure that graduation can take place on Thursday, May 16, 2024.
An extra day had been added to dismiss classes on April 8, 2024, for the upcoming total solar eclipse, but that pushed graduation to Friday, where it would be on the same date as Three Rivers College’s commencement ceremony.
After much discussion, this year’s Christmas break will be shortened by one day, with students and teachers returning to classes on Wednesday, Jan. 3.
Cornman also reported Missouri Highlands Health Care will be providing health care facilities in the near future at the Middle School, Lake Road Elementary and Eugene Field Elementary.
These on-site health clinics will be staffed by a nurse practitioner, a nurse, and a secretary during school hours, and they will offer services to both students and staff members.
“If this works well, we’d like something like this in all our schools,” Cornman said.
Athletic director Kent Keith returned to the idea of a swimming pool on the high school campus, a topic discussed by the previous board last year. This facility would be used not only by the swim team but also for physical education classes.
Several board members expressed interest in discussing the matter in more detail at a future meeting.
The next scheduled school board meeting will be on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m.