The older gym at De Soto High School will get a facelift this summer.
De Soto officials have agreed to pay $84,786 to Midwest Floor Co. in Maryland Heights to replace the tile floor at the school’s East gym with a polyurethane surface.
Superintendent Josh Isaacson said because the old tile contains asbestos, he expects workers to do the bulk of the work in July, after summer school classes conclude.
“Some initial work may begin during summer school,” he said. “We’re hoping to have it all finished by the time school starts in August.”
Isaacson said the floor replacement was needed because pipes burst in the gym area over the winter.
“We had some cold weather, and pipes burst in a closet next to the gym that had a water heater. The water damaged the tile, and it started to buckle. We turned a claim in to our insurance company, and they inspected it and accepted the claim.”
Isaacson said the insurance will pay for about half the cost – about what it would cost to lay down new tile – but district officials decided to make an upgrade, considering the heavy use of the gym.
“The East gym is used by our wrestling team. The softball and baseball teams bring their batting cages in and have hitting practice. It’s used by outside groups, like Little League wrestling. We have P.E. classes in there, and we use it as a testing facility. They also have blood drives there. It’s always being used.”
The new floor, he said, will be much more durable.
“It also will not require annual maintenance, like having to lay down a layer of wax over the tile,” he said. “For batting practice, the new surface will have a little bit of a cushion so the balls won’t ricochet off the floor as dramatically. We think it will provide a little more safety.”
The $42,219 the district will add to the insurance settlement will be drawn from the district’s capital projects fund, Isaacson said.
He said the insurance company selected Midwest Floor Co. The De Soto Board of Education voted unanimously April 18 to hire the company.
Resurfacing approved
The school board also voted unanimously April 18 to approve four bids totaling $195,406 for asphalt paving and patching, crack filling and sealing and restriping.
In each case, Jokerst Paving and Contracting in Festus was the only bidder.
“Three companies came out for a prebid meeting and toured the facilities, but Jokerst was the only one to submit a bid,” Isaacson said. “We’re happy to be working with a local company.”
The contracts were for $48,917 at Athena Elementary, $81,398 at Vineland Elementary, $45,589 at the Junior High and High School and $19,502 at the Early Childhood Center and Central Office.
“This is essentially preventive maintenance,” Isaacson said. “It costs you money to do it now, but if you don’t take care of things, it will cost you more in the long run. It’s like a driveway at home. If you let it fall into disrepair, it will cost you more later on.”
He said money to pay for the work has been included in the budget, as has another maintenance project, concrete slab and sidewalk repairs at Athena Elementary.
No Limit Contracting and Sales in De Soto was the lower of two bidders for that work at $8,768, also approved unanimously by the board.
“We’re hopeful to get all this work done in July,” Isaacson said.