Northwest R-1 School District officials have allocated $86,073.41 to buy furniture for the Valley Middle School music and drama classroom addition currently under construction.
The furniture will be funded with revenue from the district’s $28 million bond issue voters approved in April 2023.
The Northwest Board of Education voted unanimously April 17 to buy the furniture from CI Select through the Education Plus Co-Op, which typically results in discounted prices on items based on contracts the co-op establishes with suppliers after completing a bidding process.
Mark Janiesch, the school district’s chief operating officer, said that buying the furniture from CI Select helps the district keep things “consistent.”
“Per our purchasing policies, we are allowed to utilize purchasing co-ops, and we often use Education Plus,” he said. “We like to set standards for finishes and colors of furniture so that things are easy to match and for consistency throughout the district. CI Select helped us out with timely replacement furniture after our flooding events from last year, and so they seemed like a great choice to utilize for our bond issue furniture needs as well,” he said.
Janiesch said another reason for buying the furniture from CI Select was because district officials knew its prices were competitive since the co-op had already vetted the company.
“Cooperative purchasing saves time and money since the co-op vets vendors through a local or national bid process so that we do not have to,” he said.
The furniture will include seating and classroom storage that Valley Middle School did not have before, as well as instrument storage similar to the instrument storage at Woodridge Middle School.
“The furniture purchased for the fine arts addition will update and replace existing furniture and accessories that are very dated and some of which are beginning to need repair or replacement very soon,” Janiesch said. “This furniture will allow our students to be able to collaborate with each other better and, with the music side of the addition, there will be practice rooms that will help students be able to concentrate and practice on their own.”
The district also will purchase a portable stage that will be used not only by the middle school, but also for other functions throughout the district, Janiesch said.
“Currently the drama classroom does not have a stage; by adding a stage to the classroom, they will be able to conduct performances in a more conducive setting,” he said. “There are six 4-by-8-foot portable stages that, when put together, will make a 24-by-8-foot larger stage,” Janiesch said. “Since these stages are portable, they will be able to be utilized within the Valley Campus and other locations for events and performances. We have some events at other buildings, such as our Leadership Gala and Retiree Luncheon, that we could potentially utilize these stages at.”
Janiesch said the spaces where the music and drama programs are currently held will continue to be used during construction and after the new addition is completed.
“Since we are trying to keep the buildings that children transfer between all within a safe and secure fenced-in courtyard, these existing spaces are slated to be taken over by our facilities department for offices and warehouse storage,” he said.
Pending weather delays, the fine arts addition building is slated to be completed in late October or early November. The estimated cost of the approximately 5,300-square-foot addition is $5,399,576. The district hopes to have the space ready for students’ use no later than next January when they return from winter break.
Other bond issue projects
In addition to the fine arts addition, several other bond issue projects are still underway.
An addition is being built at Northwest High School that will house a field house and double as a storm shelter. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing trim work is underway, and the field house signage is completed, Janiesch said.
Another addition is being constructed at House Springs Elementary, which will house a gym and double as a storm shelter. The storm shelter’s precast components have been installed, but the underground interior is still in the works, he said.
Work will be done at the district’s bus garage, and phase one of the demolition will commence by the end of April, Janiesch said.
New playgrounds will be built at High Ridge and Murphy elementary schools over the summer, Janiesch added.