Groundbreaking Kicks Off Buildings Plan
School administrators, students, project officials and community leaders gather to celebrate the groundbreaking. Holding shovels (from left) are Superintendent Chris Hon; PBJHS Principal Bob Case; architect Brett Dille; school board members Gary Simmons, Steve Sells, Dr. Cynthia Brown and Kent Eyler; and architect Ben Traxel.
About 50 supporters came out on Friday, March 20, to celebrate the groundbreaking for the Poplar Bluff Junior High School addition, which will include a FEMA safe room and nine new classrooms, among other renovations.
Student ambassadors from Junior High and members of the Senior High Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps welcomed the guests. Chartwells School Dining Services provided refreshments. R-I Superintendent Chris Hon reflected on the levy measure that voters approved a year ago in order to combat space issues and improve the security of students.
Earlier this month, contractor Zoellner Construction began site work on the project, which will also feature new restroom facilities, locker rooms and a road that encircles the campus. The safe room portion, which will double as a gym, is funded by a $1 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The current gym will be converted to a shop classroom, getting students out of the stand-alone building.
The project completion deadline is March 2, 2016, according to the contract. This is the first of multiple projects in the buildings plan. Bids will continue to be solicited for the high school project until Tuesday, March 31. A special meeting has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, April 6, in the Administrative Building to select general contractors over both the new high school and middle school for grades 4-6.