Work has begun on several projects at the Dunklin R-5 School District, including construction of a new, secure entrance at Senn-Thomas Middle School and a new competition gym at Herculaneum High School. Several more construction projects will start this summer, said Matt Lichtenstein, communications director for the Dunklin R-5 School District.
All the projects are being funded with revenue from a $13.5 million bond issue district voters approved in April 2023.
Secure entrances
Lichtenstein said construction on the new entrance at Senn Thomas is already underway, and work on the entrance at Pevely Elementary is expected to start this summer. Both are expected to be finished by the beginning of the next school year in mid-August.
A rendering of what the finished secure entrance at Senn-Thomas Middle School will look like.
Last September the Dunklin Board of Education awarded a $2,535,000 contract to Brockmiller Construction in Farmington to build the two entrance projects.
Currently, at both Senn Thomas and Pevely Elementary, visitors are buzzed inside, and then they have direct access to the entire building. As part of the entrance projects, the schools’ administrative offices will be moved to the front of the buildings, and together those changes will provide extra security, Lichtenstein said.
Lichtenstein said the elementary and middle school are older buildings.
“They build buildings differently today than they did decades ago, when the offices used to be somewhere in the center of the building. Because of security issues, bringing the offices up front and restricting visitors more than they are now only makes sense as far as child safety is concerned, and that’s our number one concern.”
The Taylor Early Childhood Center and Herculaneum High already have secure entrances.
New competition gym
Lichtenstein said a groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 27 for the new competition gym. Construction had already started.
That project is expected to be finished in summer 2025.
A rendering of what the inside of the new competition gym will look like after completion.
Lichtenstein said the new gym, which hasn’t been named yet, will be built on the far side of Robinson Gymnasium behind the theater, with access from Broadway. In February, the school board awarded a $10,655,655 contract to ICS Construction Services in St. Louis to build the new gym, as well as a new storage facility for the district.
The new gym will include seating for 780 spectators and a walking track built above and around the basketball court.
The school’s existing gym, Robinson Gymnasium, was built in 1964, and the school has added sports and other activities since then. As a result, teams are often left jockeying for gym time, which means some students must leave school and return later in the evening. Having a second gym will allow all the teams to practice after school without having to leave and return later, Lichtenstein said.
He said the wrestling team will have a dedicated space in the new gym to practice. Currently, the wrestling team practices at the early childhood center and can’t start practice there until more than hour after the high school day has ended. In addition, the wrestlers have to move early childhood center equipment each time before and after practice to accommodate their own equipment.
Lichtenstein said Robinson Gymnasium will still be used after the new gym is constructed, and physical education classes will likely still be held there.
Storage facility
Lichtenstein said construction on the new storage facility has not yet been set, but because it was included in the gym bid package, it is likely to begin after the earth movers have finished their work at the gym site.
He also said the storage facility will probably be completed before the gym because since it’s a smaller project.
Lichtenstein said the new 40-by-75-foot storage facility will house the technology and maintenance offices, along with a garage-type space for repairing maintenance equipment and a carport large enough for four vehicles.
He said the technology department currently uses a classroom at Herculaneum High with some of its equipment stored at the early childhood center, so moving the department to the new facility will open much needed classroom space at both buildings.
Lichtenstein said the district lacks needed storage space and has been keeping excess furniture, custodial supplies and other items scattered throughout several areas. Relocating maintenance items from a shed where they’re currently stored to the new facility will allow existing maintenance space to be used as a warehouse to help the district consolidate those items.
“We need something akin to a warehouse where maintenance can store things and then be able to distribute them instead of having little pocket rooms or closets in different buildings where everybody keeps stuff,” he said.
Lichtenstein said after the current maintenance shed is cleared out, the district will be able to store food items and two large freezers for the food service department. Food shipments also will be received at that location.
The department’s freezers currently are housed outside the early childhood center. Moving the freezers will add about 10 additional parking spaces outside the center and decrease delivery traffic to the building, he said.
Lichtenstein said the warehouse space also will allow the district to order some items in bulk, which will save money.
Turf field
Lichtenstein said the work on the new turf field is expected to start on May 21 and be finished before the beginning of the new school year. In March, the school board awarded a $1,087,812 contract to ATG Sports Industries in Festus for the project, which includes upgraded turf (Turf Pro 50) and a machine needed to maintain the field.
A rendering of the new turf field at Herculaneum High School.
He said the work will include hauling away more than 300 truckloads of dirt and installing a drainage system before applying the turf to the field. The turf should last at least a decade, if not more.
Lichtenstein said the grass field has served the district well over the years, but it has been a challenge to maintain it properly over the course of the football season.
“As the season wears on, it gets worn down and it’s not a smooth surface anymore. It’s lumpy. You can twist an ankle; you can get your toe caught on the turf. I think they try to do a really good job of maintaining it, but we probably spend $30,000 a year on seeding and aerating and watering the field.”
Lichtenstein said putting turf on the field also will allow it to be used as an activity field for more than just the football team, particularly the marching band, adding that the band currently uses the practice field in front of the high school, which often leaves students’ feet wet and covered in grass clippings.
“They come to practice the first period in the morning in the fall and stand in this dew-covered field. Their feet are all wet, and that’s how they start their day.”
Lighting and sound systems
Lichtenstein said the school is still in the process of preparing bid specifications for needed improvements at the district’s theater.
He said the lighting and sound systems at the district’s theater are 20 years old and are in need of upgrades.
The current lighting system is not balanced and creates hot spots and dark shadows on stage. New LED lights should fix that problem while saving a considerable amount of power. In addition, the aging microphones cut in and out during performances.
“The good news is the infrastructure that holds the stage lighting is in good shape. Rigging new stuff is very expensive,” Lichtenstein said. “The bad news is stage lights, sound boards and the like still aren’t cheap.”