Architects planning safe, sound building, getting most for the money, they say

By MaryHelen Swanson
The commotion at the Rush City High School will be alleviated soon as the roof replacement project winds down. It is expected to be completed this week.
But there will be plenty of action at the site of the new elementary building in the coming weeks and months.
At the Sept. 19 school board meeting, architect Howard Goltz, with Setter, Leach & Lindstrom, and project manager Joe Maddy, with RJM Construction, updated the board on the elementary projects.
Fifteen to 20 people have been working on a contract drawing of the new elementary building, Goltz said.
He presented the drawing he said fulfills the districtís charge to construct a safe and sound building while giving the district the most for its money.
As planned so far, the elementary facilityís classrooms have been increased from 23 to 41 with the size of the rooms going from 800 square feet to 950 square feet to comply with the Department of Children, Families and Learningís requirements.
The new facility should hold 888 students, Goltz said.
The existing entry at the elementary school will remain but will not be the main entrance. That will be located at the north end of the new addition. With safety in mind, there will be an independent bus turnaround area and a separate parent parking/drop-off area.
Goltz said there would be minimal remodeling in the old, round building, but walls would be knocked out to create nine classrooms from the current 18.
The kindergarten rooms will stay the same.
An art room will be created and there will be some remodeling in the media center.
The current gym will be partitioned to create choir and band rooms. A new gym is planned and will be oversized for multiple uses. The new classrooms will have ìcubbies,î or in-room areas for coats and supplies and overhead storage areas.
The new portion of the elementary is scheduled to be completed in time for the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year.
However, the remodeled round portion, dated from 1966, is not expected to be completed until closer to December 2003.
Three sixth grade classrooms in the current round building will be opened up to create an improved dining area. This portion of the remodeling project will have to be completed by the start of school to provide the lunch program.
To work out the problem, Superintendent Tim Eklund said that there may have to be some reconfiguration of classrooms soon.
One way to deal with the issue, Eklund said, is by moving the sixth grade classes into the current gym using partitions to create individual classrooms and transporting students to the recreation center for physical education classes.
Bids requests were sent for the site work which will include extensive soil correction. Essentially, the contractors will have to move a lot of bad soil out and replace it with good soil, suitable for a base for the new school building.
Construction of the new building is expected to start around Nov. 1.
The board also learned that the project cost has increased from the original $11,123,985 to $11,371,395. Maddy said he anticipates a favorable bidding climate that should positively impact the costs.
School principals reported positive and smooth starts for the year at both the elementary and high school buildings.
High school principal Mark Saari credited a prepared staff for getting through with the inconveniences during the roof project.
He also noted that more than 95 percent of the incoming seventh grade students and their parents attended the orientation Aug. 26.
Elementary principal Vern Koepp noted that the open house was well attended and that the Parent Teacher Organization was able to give the elementary media center about $2,000 worth of new books from the book fair.
The board also learned that there are 71 preschoolers enrolled in the districtís program this year, 54 will enter kindergarten next fall.
In other business, the board:
ï Approved a 10-day release time for Kris Althoff to do consulting on the direct instruction curriculum. The time off is addressed in the ìother leavesî portion of her contract.
ï Reviewed policies on sexual abuse reporting, staff development, student medications, assessment of standard achievement and disposition of obsolete equipment.
ï Set a special meeting for 6 p.m., Oct. 3.

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