Woodridge Middle School recently got a facelift.
A new front sign was installed at the school on Oct. 12, said Elizabeth Green, principal of the school at 2109 Gravois Road in High Ridge.
“It was time for a little bit of an upgrade,” Green said. “A sign says a lot about a school when you drive by. It shows a source of pride for the staff who work here and the kids who attend school here.”
She said Piro Signs, based in Barnhart, installed the sign for $6,377.
Funding for the sign came from the school’s operational budget.
“We usually pick out one big item to do every year,” Green said. “Last year we replaced the school’s walkie-talkies.”
Green said the installation took about two and a half hours to complete and did not impede classwork because students already were in the building when Piro Signs began the installation.
According to the Piro Signs website, the company designs, manufactures, installs and repairs a range of signs.
“They are a local company here in Jefferson County, and they have kids in our district,” Green said. “We love to support local businesses when we can.”
Summer construction ahead
Woodridge is slated to get a new secure entryway by the end of the summer, Green said.
“If you’re looking at the building, it will be on the right-hand side of the building,” she said. “I think (the new sign) is going to tie together the look of this new brand we’re going for. We’re trying to make (the front of the building) look a little nicer.”
Secure entry renovations also will be completed at Brennan Woods, Cedar Springs and High Ridge elementary schools for a total cost of $2,433,000, according to the Northwest School District website.
The cost of those renovations will be funded with revenue from Proposition S, a $28 million bond issue district voters approved in April.
The bond issue focuses on improving safety and security issues districtwide, according to the district’s website.
Superintendent Jennifer Hecktor said groundbreaking for these projects will be held in the spring.
“Those components will have to start after the school year ends,” she said. “They’ll happen as soon as students are out the door so that we’re not disrupting learning.”
The largest project included in Prop S is the multipurpose addition at Northwest High School, which will cost $5,796,000, according to the district’s website.
Hecktor said the addition is still in the design phase and groundbreaking will most likely begin in the spring. The addition will include a weight room and additional practice space.
Other Prop S projects include updating fire alarm panels, upgrading surveillance systems and installing new playground equipment.
At the Oct. 19 Board of Education meeting, Hecktor said she regularly meets with representatives from the Paragon architectural firm and from S.M. Wilson, which is providing construction management services for the district.
Also on Oct. 19, Matt Frank, an S.M. Wilson representative, presented information about Prop S projects, describing improvements to be made at Murphy Elementary’s water drainage system. Murphy Elementary is at 2101 Valley Drive in High Ridge. The drainage improvement project there will cost $408,000, according to the district’s website.
“I think most of us know there’s been some issues with rainwater management on the school property,” Frank said. “You don’t expect it, and it’s a big problem when it happens.”
Work on the system is expected to start once school lets out in the spring, Frank said during the meeting.
Frank explained that a pond on a neighbor’s property sometimes overflows with rainwater and floods elementary school property.
“We’re going to create a swale, which is kind of a depressed area in the ground that will be paved,” he said. “So any water that runs off the property, the swale is going to catch it and divert it to an inlet where it’s going to be piped underground to a creek and discharged.”
Frank also shared information about the plans to improve traffic circulation at Cedar Springs Elementary at 6922 Rivermont Trail in House Springs. Frank said construction will begin after the school year is over to create a two-lane queuing area around the rear of the building. The site circulation will cost about $317,000, the district website says.
“We’re going to add some additional paving that wraps around the gymnasium to allow more cars to be stacked up and help alleviate some of the traffic flow in and out of the site to create a quicker and safer experience for student pick up and drop off,” he said.
“We’re on track (for Prop S projects) and we’re excited,” Hecktor said. “We’re excited to have a groundbreaking ceremony in the spring.”