Festus R-6 School District officials have agreed to spend $41,168 to spruce up the gymnasium floors at two Festus R-6 school buildings this summer.
Board members voted unanimously May 15 to award a $38,500 contract to Missouri Floor Co. of Maryland Heights to sand and paint the high school gym floor and $2,668 to Hillyard of Columbia to clean and refinish the middle school gym floor.
Superintendent Nicki Ruess said the Missouri Floor Co. submitted the higher of two bids for the project, but it was considered the best bid.
“It was the best bid because they were able to complete the work in the timeframe that was needed to start the 2025-2026 school year,” she said. “The high school (work) starts on July 14 and will take approximately five weeks.”
Ruess said Hillyard submitted the only bid for the middle school gym floor work. That project is scheduled to begin July 11 and is expected to take about one week to complete.
While the high school gym floor, at approximately 7,800 square feet, is not significantly larger than the middle school gym floor, at 7,400 square feet, the high school gym floor requires a great deal more maintenance work, Ruess said.
“The high school project is a complete sand and repaint of the floor and includes labor, equipment, travel, insurance and products for sanding the wood, general cleaning, screening, painting, prepping and reapplication of urethane gym finish,” she said. “The middle school project includes labor, equipment, travel, insurance and products for general cleaning and reapplication of urethane gym finish.”
Ruess said the gym floors in the district’s intermediate and elementary schools “are not wood floors and do not need to be refinished.”
She said the gym floor maintenance projects are more important than many people realize.
“These projects are essential to maintaining the quality and safety of our athletic facilities for students and the community,” she said. “The high school gym floor will undergo a full sanding, repainting and refinishing, an involved process that not only restores the floor’s appearance, but also enhances its performance and longevity. This level of maintenance is required every eight to 10 years to preserve the integrity of the wood and ensure a safe, playable surface for athletes.
“At the middle school, the gym floor will receive a thorough cleaning and rewaxing, which will revitalize its condition and provide the necessary upkeep without the need for complete overhaul.”
Also at the May 15 meeting, school board members moved their next meeting to Thursday, June 26, a week later than usual. Board meetings normally take place at 7 p.m. the third Thursday of each month in the basement at the Roy Burnside Administration Building, 1515 Mid-Meadow Lane.