The ice and snow storms in January, along with other wet weather this winter, have slowed construction of the addition to Festus Middle School at 1717 W. Main St.
However, the addition could still be completed this summer as planned, Superintendent Nicki Ruess said.
When the addition opens, the Festus R-6 School District’s sixth grade students, who currently are housed in the Festus Intermediate School, will be moved into the Middle School.
“The weather was rough through most of the month of January,” Ruess said Monday. “There have been more than 30 days of weather-related work stoppages (this winter). But, we still have hope the sixth grade will be able to start classes in the new addition in August 2025.”
She said the recent warmer temperatures have spurred optimism that the construction schedule can get back on track.
“With the recent good weather there is hope we can be under roof in the next couple of weeks,” Ruess said. “Once under roof, we still hope it will be mostly completed by the end of June. That will allow our maintenance and custodial staff the opportunity to get in there to wax the floors and move the furniture into it.”
Brockmiller Construction of Farmington won the $7,574,900 contract to build the 20,041-square-foot addition. The existing Middle School building is 69,807 square feet, so the building will increase to 89,848 square feet once the addition is complete.
The relocation of the district’s sixth grade from the Intermediate School to the Middle School is the first step in a plan to realign grades in the district’s different buildings.
For the next phase of the plan, an addition to the Intermediate School would be built, and the district’s third grade classes would be moved from the Elementary School to the Intermediate School.
The district will soon seek construction bids for the Intermediate School addition project, Ruess said.
The district will pay for both the Middle School and Intermediate School additions with revenue from Proposition F, a 59-cent tax increase voters approved in 2019.
She said the additions and grade realignments are needed due to the district’s expanding enrollment. The district has seen an increase in total enrollment, including students in Early Childhood Education through the 12th grade classes, from about 3,000 students in 2019 to more than 3,500 this school year, she said.