NEW GLARUS - The new addition for the New Glarus school district's middle school for fifth- through eighth-graders is going smoothly and on schedule, according Superintendent David Strudhoff.
That means some New Glarus students will be walking into new classrooms next September.
"Miron (Construction Co., Inc.), the construction managers for the project, have done a really nice job working with the school," Strudhoff said. "And because of our mild winter, we were able to break ground the second week of March."
Strudhoff said opportunities for the public to tour the facilities will most likely coincide with the fall music programs, which will be held in the new multipurpose room.
As of earlier this week, the walls and roof decking are up on the middle school addition, located on the north side of the high school, and on the multipurpose room.
"Plans, at this time, are to start demolition June 5, (on) seven rooms at the high school and 20 rooms at the elementary school," Strudhoff said.
Those rooms will be remodeled and completed by Aug. 1. The entire project is expected to be completed, "ready for students," by Aug. 24, he added. The first day of school is Sept. 4.
Bids for the project came in 5 to 8 percent lower than anticipated, Strudhoff said, giving the district about $100,000 to use for 11 of its 15 "alternate" amenities. What couldn't be worked in were "menial" details, he said, like a special flooring compound and digging a softball field in the rear of the school.
Strudhoff said eliminating the softball field was not a concern, because a similar project had already been started.
District voters passed a referendum last November authorizing the district to borrow $7.35 million to expand and upgrade school facilities, after rejecting a similar $10 million referendum in April 2011.
The new proposal stayed away from increased taxes and a third gymnasium, the major reasons residents gave for defeating the April referendum. Covering the cost of the general obligation bonds will come from continuing the district's existing debt, which will be retired in 2014. Other financial arrangements, such as a short-term loan or the fund balance, will serve to bridge the debt service for the intervening two years.
With two spectator gyms, the school didn't need another gym, but rather, space for overflow, Strudhoff said last fall. The school opted to build a multipurpose room, designed to meet the daily changing needs of the school and to accommodate community needs as well.
The space can be used for vocal and instrumental concerts, indoor and outdoor theatrical productions, athletic practice sessions, physical education classes, recesses, movie viewing, or dinner and speaker events - in any combination during a day. Strudhoff said the school kitchen could be rented out for catered events, creating a source of revenue for the school.
The district will also get some savings from energy efficiency by replacing windows in the separate elementary school building.
The idea for moving fifth- and sixth-graders from the elementary building to the high school was to provide them with some added educational opportunities in vocational and foreign language courses.
To create more efficient use of staff and space, the plans included 4K through eighth-grades rooms to be reconfigured into classroom educational clusters. The new construction design will handle about 80 to 90 students per grade level.
The district population hit more than 900 students for the first time this school year.
That means some New Glarus students will be walking into new classrooms next September.
"Miron (Construction Co., Inc.), the construction managers for the project, have done a really nice job working with the school," Strudhoff said. "And because of our mild winter, we were able to break ground the second week of March."
Strudhoff said opportunities for the public to tour the facilities will most likely coincide with the fall music programs, which will be held in the new multipurpose room.
As of earlier this week, the walls and roof decking are up on the middle school addition, located on the north side of the high school, and on the multipurpose room.
"Plans, at this time, are to start demolition June 5, (on) seven rooms at the high school and 20 rooms at the elementary school," Strudhoff said.
Those rooms will be remodeled and completed by Aug. 1. The entire project is expected to be completed, "ready for students," by Aug. 24, he added. The first day of school is Sept. 4.
Bids for the project came in 5 to 8 percent lower than anticipated, Strudhoff said, giving the district about $100,000 to use for 11 of its 15 "alternate" amenities. What couldn't be worked in were "menial" details, he said, like a special flooring compound and digging a softball field in the rear of the school.
Strudhoff said eliminating the softball field was not a concern, because a similar project had already been started.
District voters passed a referendum last November authorizing the district to borrow $7.35 million to expand and upgrade school facilities, after rejecting a similar $10 million referendum in April 2011.
The new proposal stayed away from increased taxes and a third gymnasium, the major reasons residents gave for defeating the April referendum. Covering the cost of the general obligation bonds will come from continuing the district's existing debt, which will be retired in 2014. Other financial arrangements, such as a short-term loan or the fund balance, will serve to bridge the debt service for the intervening two years.
With two spectator gyms, the school didn't need another gym, but rather, space for overflow, Strudhoff said last fall. The school opted to build a multipurpose room, designed to meet the daily changing needs of the school and to accommodate community needs as well.
The space can be used for vocal and instrumental concerts, indoor and outdoor theatrical productions, athletic practice sessions, physical education classes, recesses, movie viewing, or dinner and speaker events - in any combination during a day. Strudhoff said the school kitchen could be rented out for catered events, creating a source of revenue for the school.
The district will also get some savings from energy efficiency by replacing windows in the separate elementary school building.
The idea for moving fifth- and sixth-graders from the elementary building to the high school was to provide them with some added educational opportunities in vocational and foreign language courses.
To create more efficient use of staff and space, the plans included 4K through eighth-grades rooms to be reconfigured into classroom educational clusters. The new construction design will handle about 80 to 90 students per grade level.
The district population hit more than 900 students for the first time this school year.