Mid-Prairie East elementary Principal Greg Jergens explained to Kalona Rotary club members April 18 that the new fenced in area between East Elementary and Middle School in Kalona …
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Mid-Prairie East elementary Principal Greg Jergens explained to Kalona Rotary club members April 18 that the new fenced in area between East Elementary and Middle School in Kalona is the construction materials location for the renovations planned for the two centers.
“Construction traffic will use 14th and H Avenue,” Jergens stated. “The construction crews are not supposed to use 6th Street in front of East.” Heavy machinery traffic has already started with some semis bringing in machines to create the staging area.
“This will impact some of the parking on H Avenue at pickup time for East and the Middle School,” he added. “The area in front of the construction road gate on H Avenue is now a no parking zone.” This will also impact the residential traffic in this area.
Construction on East Elementary and the Middle School is being paid for out of $12.78 million revenue bonds that are to be repaid from revenues from the 1% sales tax designated for this type of projects, according to M-P treasurer and board secretary Jeff Swartzentruber.
Additions included in the project one classroom and a bathroom on the east end of the 2nd grade wing of East Elementary. There will also be four new classroom with bathroom in the rooms on the east end of the Kindergarten wing.
Additions to the Middle School include a one STEM and two 7th/8th grade classrooms, family and consumer science classrooms and additional 5th grade classrooms. In summer of 2024 the Middle School commons area will be renovated and as well as space to create additional special education classrooms and dedicated bathrooms.
The High School track around he football field will be replaced this summer at a cost of $615,000, will be replaced this summer after school is out (student safety).
Exterior construction can/will take place while school is in session, but remodeling of interior spaces will take place in the summers of 2023 and 2024.
The hope is that some of the spaces will be able to be used near the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year and all will be open by the end of that school year, according to Jergens.
“With completion of this project,” he added. “The portable at East will go away, but it will still be used for sure through next school year.”
“The five new classrooms at East Elementary will hold kindergarten and second grades,” Jergens pointed out. “Any vacated classrooms will become the new home for specials with the goal to have all specials centrally located in the building.
“This gives the ability for East to have six sections of each grade if needed as well as room for specials,” he noted.
“Middle School will have the addition of several classrooms including 5th grade which will allow them to better accommodation the larger classes coming to the building,’ he noted. Each building will see an improvement in restroom facilities with more being added.
Construction on the Middle School STEM and two 7/8 classrooms is the first big move and that will start in May. The first addition to East is scheduled for July.
For additional information, please go to: https://www.mphawks.org/facilities/current-projects or https://www.mphawks.org/facilities.
