The Northwest R-1 School District will soon begin construction on some of its Phase 1 improvement projects. Altogether, the Phase 1 projects will cost about $12 million and are being funded with revenue from the $28 million bond issue district voters approved in April 2023.
The Phase 1 projects to begin this summer include secured entrances at High Ridge and Cedar Springs elementary schools and Woodridge Middle School; new playground equipment at the Early Childhood Center; and a two-story field house addition at Northwest High School.
Other Phase 1 projects to begin later include the replacement of playgrounds at all six elementary schools, said Mark Janiesch, the district’s chief operating officer.
Phase 2 projects, slated to begin in fall 2024, will cost an estimated $16 million, he said.
“We are excited to get going on these bond issue projects. Summer is the ideal time for big construction projects because there is the least disruption. Some of the buildings will be empty since students and staff are not on the campuses,” Janiesch said.
The installation of a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system at Maple Grove Elementary School also is scheduled to begin soon, but the district will fund that project with capital improvement funds.
Safe school entryways
The Northwest Board of Education agreed May 14 to spend $2.87 million to have secured entrances created at the two elementary schools and middle schools. S.M. Wilson & Co. of St. Louis is the construction manager overseeing those improvements. When those entryway improvements are finished, it completes secure entrances at all schools in the district, district officials reported.
“Districtwide, we have added security to make our schools safer and more efficient to how visitors get access to the buildings. Visitors are evaluated by the main office through tempered glass and then gain access to a security vestibule that is parallel to the main office. Everyone entering the school has to go through two secure doors before being let into the school,” facility director Kasey Schaffer said.
High Ridge Elementary
A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for 8:45 a.m. May 23, the last day of school, at High Ridge Elementary School, 2901 High Ridge Blvd., to mark the start of construction there.
The school enrolls about 350 students.
In addition to the new secure entrance, the project include upgrades to the exterior of the front west corner of the school, which will be updated with blue and white panels that will blend with the existing red brick, giving it a fresh, modern look, Janiesch said.
Blue and white are the school colors.
“High Ridge Elementary is getting a complete facelift,” Janiesch said. “Besides the new building exterior, the utility pole that sits in front of the office is being removed, and the utilities are being routed underground.”
The construction will begin May 27 and is scheduled to be completed Sept. 27. A temporary entrance will be set up when school starts Aug. 19, he said.
The oldest school in the district, High Ridge Elementary was built in 1936. The most recent addition to the school was a new corridor and gymnasium built in 2019, school officials reported.
Cedar Springs
At Cedar Springs Elementary in House Springs, the new secure entrance construction will begin May 28 and is scheduled to be completed July 19. Although summer school will be held at Cedar Springs, the work there isn’t expected to be too disruptive, Janiesch said.
Improvements to the driveway entrance also are planned at the school to ease congestion from an increase in families driving students to school.
“Currently, traffic backs up onto Hwy. 30 in the afternoon at Cedar Springs Elementary. We want to route as many vehicles onto the district campus as we can for safety,” Janiesch said. “We are creating two lanes for vehicles that will funnel into a singular lane to decrease the traffic bottleneck.”
Accurate Asphalt Paving Co. of Fenton will begin the $84,600 driveway project May 28 with a targeted completion of July 22. As part of that project, a 1-acre walking path that loops behind the school is being widened to accommodate vehicles, he said.
Parents will drop off and pick up students by the gymnasium in the rear of the school. Buses will continue using the front of the school.
“The walking path will still be used for PE classes and other school activities, though cross walks and safety markings will be added and lanes will be blocked while school is in session,” Schaffer said.
About 440 students attend Cedar Springs Elementary. The Missouri Gold Star and National Blue Ribbon school was built in 1989. The school’s most recent improvement was a new corridor and gymnasium built in 2019, district officials said.
Woodridge Middle
Construction of the secured entry at Woodridge Middle School in High Ridge will begin May 30 and is scheduled to be completed Aug. 26. A slight update to the outside entry and a logo sign will be added as well, Janiesch said.
The school, which was built in 1964, has about 550 students. The most recent update at Woodridge Middle School was a new gymnasium and classroom additions in 2020, the district reported.
Playground
The Board of Education approved $169,222 for new playground equipment at the Early Childhood Center in House Springs at its March 28 special meeting. The Playground Consultants of Wildwood will install 11 structures in June at the school for pre-kindergarten students.
“The existing equipment ranges from 14 to 17 years old,” Schaffer said. “Although we inspect it regularly to make sure it is safe, it is still aging.”
The playground’s pavilion, which is less than five years old, is being incorporated into the playground design to provide a canopy, he said.
The new design includes a trike path and features a swing area, playhouse, picnic table and playground structure with climbs, slides and maze.
Northwest High field house addition
Construction of a $6.8 million field house addition to the gymnasium at Northwest High School in Cedar Hill is expected to begin in July, Janiesch said.
It will include a small gymnasium for classes, fitness center with weight lifting and a small locker area. It will have air conditioning and storm shelter provisions, whereas the existing gymnasium built in the 1990s does not.
A request for bids to build the 15,900-square-foot addition went out April 30, and the school board is expected to select a builder for the project at its May 16 meeting, Janiesch said.
The addition is projected to take about one year to complete.
At its special March 28 meeting, the school board approved hiring American Electric & Data Inc. of St. Louis Co. to install the facility’s electrical system and Mid-America Precast Inc. of Fulton to build the exterior panels that will blend in with the existing building.
HVAC at Maple Grove
A new HVAC system will be added at Maple Grove Elementary School in Dittmer to improve the heating and cooling efficiency of the north side of the building, Janiesch said.
The improvement is expected to benefit 10 classrooms in which dehumidifiers have been used to maintain the fresh-air standards required for schools, Janiesch said.
The new system will reduce the high electrical cost of using the dehumidifiers, he said.
On March 14, the school board awarded a $225,250 contract to Integrated Facility Services of Fenton to complete the project, which includes new ductwork, individual room controls, a new air conditioner and carbon monoxide monitoring system.
Built in 1941, Maple Grove Elementary has about 430 students. The school’s latest improvement was a new cafeteria built in 2005.