Two major Fox C-6 School District construction projects funded by a $40 million bond issue called Proposition P that voters approved in June 2020 are nearing completion.
Additions at both Antonia Elementary School and Meramec Heights Elementary School are expected to be finished before the end of this school year, the principals at each school said.
Antonia Principal Mark Rudanovich said the 19,000-square-foot addition at that school is expected to be ready for students to use by the end of this month or early March, adding that teachers were expected to start moving supplies to new rooms earlier this month.
Meramec Heights Principal Dustin Bain said the 26,000-square-foot addition at his school is expected to be completed by April.
“It looks great,” Superintendent Paul Fregeau said. “It is jaw dropping when you walk in.”
According to Board of Education documents, the Fox district’s budget for the Prop P bond issue projects was $45,264,487, combining revenue from the bond issue, anticipated interest earnings, a bond premium and Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II (ESSER II) funds received from the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Jan. 16, Fox is projected to spend $45,306,999 on the Prop P projects, which is $42,512 over budget, according to board documents.
However, Fregeau said he doesn’t believe the Prop P projects will run over budget because he expects the district to earn enough interest on the bonds to cover any overages.
Also, Fox has had conversations with Cordogan Clark, the architect firm that designed improvements for the Fox C-6 campus in Arnold that is home to the Fox high, middle and elementary schools, about the company paying toward the numerous change orders that increased the cost of the project.
Jim Riddle of Cordogan Clark said at a November board meeting that some changes were because of omissions in the design plans and the company would determine with the district how much of the additional costs it should cover.
Antonia
Antonia will have a new secure entrance, commons area, art room, library, remedial reading room, resource room for reading interventions, three special education rooms and a diagnostic office when construction is complete.
The school, 3901 Old Hwy. M, also will have an outdoor commons area to hold classes and eat lunch, and it will have a new playground.
“It is going to reshape the building,” Rudanovich said. “Having an entryway, where you have a commons area and an open space for kids to gather, is something we have never had. The feeling is different as soon as you walk in the door.”
Antonia Elementary School Principal Mark Rudanovich shows off the tiered seating in the school’s new library.
Antonia will relocate the art room from the basement to the school’s main level. The new classroom will have more natural light, a view of the outdoor commons area, three sinks at various levels so all students may easily access them and a separate room for a kiln.
The library also will have more natural light, better seating options, a more functional circulation desk and up-to-date technology.
“The art room and the library are two major pieces of this new addition,” Rudanovich said. “Every student visits the library or art room every week. To be able to enjoy a library and art room like this, it will be awesome.”
The parking lot also will be improved with more space created by having a circular drive at the new front entrance for parents to drop off their children in the morning.
Rudanovich said the school will change the drop-off procedure next school year.
“Students will no longer have a long walk through the rain, cold and different weather we get,” he said. “It should also help the traffic on our parking lot.”
Antonia also will have an elevator for the first time.
“It will help some of our students and community members move around the building because we will be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant,” Rudanovich said.
He said the construction, which began in May 2022, has not disrupted the school day, and he is impressed by how the new addition blends into the existing building.
“The color scheme, brick and look all fit together,” he said. “We kept the familiarity of Antonia Elementary and added a new piece that blends in well.”
Meramec Heights
Meramec Heights will have a new secure entrance; a commons area with a tiered stage; new offices for front office staff, administrators, counselors and the school nurse; a teachers work room and lounge; and a cafeteria and kitchen on the main floor of the addition.
The school, 1340 W. Outer 21 Road west of Arnold, also will have new fourth and fifth grade classrooms on the upper floor.
Bain said the lower floor is expected to be in use by April but the classrooms likely won’t be used until the 2024-2025 school year.
He said the building will be more user friendly when the renovations are complete.
“We wanted to create a building where you could communicate, collaborate and work together quickly, so that everything for the children is sped up,” he said. “When it is all blended together, it will be pretty amazing how well it all works together.”
Bain said he is excited to have a commons area and stage that may be used for school events. Clubs and community organizations, like the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, also may use them.
“We wanted something the community can use,” Bain said. “We’re always doing something with choir or chorus, there is a chess club, we have all of these different things. For me it is important to give the space to those.”
With the cafeteria closer to the front door, it will help when students are served breakfast.
“(Students) walk in, get their breakfast and go to class,” Bain said. “The morning will be more efficient.”
The cafeteria also will double as a storm shelter.
“If there were a catastrophic event, (the cafeteria) is built to house every human in the building,” he said.
Bain said the hallway on the upper floor is wider than the current hallways, and the classrooms are larger with more storage space and additional electric outlets.
“It may sound silly, but it is very important (to have more electric outlets),” he said. “This building was built in 1969. What was your use for electricity in 1969 compared to 2024? We are doing more with technology in the classroom.”
The courtyard will be tucked into the middle of the building, and the school’s current kitchen will be transformed into a STEM lab next to the outdoor space. Bain said the school will put furniture and raised garden beds there.
“It will be an area that will be secure and dressed up for outdoor learning,” he said. “It is another way to engage students and give them opportunities.”
Traffic and parking on the campus will be improved with the addition of about 50 parking spaces on the east and west sides of the building, Bain said.
“Right now, the plan is to run parent drop off and pickup from (the added parking area on the east side of the school,”) he said. “That will transform the amount of parking we have at our busiest points.”
Bain said the additional parking will allow more school events such as choirs and concerts to be held at Meramec Heights instead of Rickman Auditorium, and the addition of an elevator will allow easier access for everyone in the building.
“Meramec parents and families wanted improvements in electrical and ADA compliance,” he said. “When you have things like grandparents day, it is limiting on who can attend (without an elevator).”
Bain said he is eager for students, families and staff to see the completed project.
“It is a lot of work to get bond issues passed and tax increases passed, but it is important that our kids have nice things,” he said. “We want our kids to feel important. I think in this community it will be a huge step forward if we say to ourselves, ‘It is good for our kids to have nice things.’”