Festus R-6 Superintendent Link Luttrell said it is time for district officials to begin planning for the design and construction of a large wellness center and gymnasium, now that many other Proposition F projects are either completed or nearing completion.
He said the wellness center would be built in a field behind Festus High School and would be used for a variety of purposes.
“It’s a complex where you’ll be able to hold basketball, wrestling events,” Luttrell said. “There will be a small inside walking track. We’d love to have a graduation there whenever weather prohibits outdoor graduation (at the athletic stadium).”
Like other area districts, Festus High School graduation ceremonies typically are moved to Jefferson College when there’s bad weather.
Depending on its design and how construction bids come in, the center could provide seating for at least 2,100, Luttrell said.
“If we could, we would get 2,500 seats,” he said. “The estimate for it is 40,000 to 42,000 square feet.”
Luttrell said the center was one of the projects promised to voters when they approved Proposition F, a 59-cent tax increase, in April 2019.
“The voters said they wanted it (the wellness center) as part of Proposition F,” he said.
Luttrell talked about the proposed project at the Jan. 21 Festus Board of Education meeting, and while no official vote was taken, school board members agreed it is time to begin planning for the center.
“The board said it was OK to move ahead with the design,” Luttrell said.
While much still must be decided about the new project, early estimates put the price tag around $14 million, which is about what the district expects to spend on the performing arts center currently under construction at the high school, Luttrell said.
He said the performing arts center project is on target to be completed in October.
Luttrell said an official name for the wellness center and gymnasium has not yet been chosen, which is just one reason to begin planning the project.
“The design process takes 12 to 14 months,” he said. “Construction will take 12 to 14 months. Even starting now, we’re two-and-a-half or more years out at least (for the building to be completed).”
Another consideration is the price tag, Luttrell said.
“It’s not going to get less expensive if we wait,” he said.
Luttrell said while many of the project details are up in the air, some have been discussed since before the vote on Proposition F.
For one, it will be open to the community when not in use for school activities.
Funding from Proposition F already has paid for the reconfiguration of the Festus Elementary School drop-off and pick-up areas, as well as the construction of a new playground at the elementary school; safety and security measures in district buildings; and technology upgrades across the district.