VIENNA — Maries R-1 Superintendent Teresa Messersmith recently gave an extensive report to the school board about the construction projects going on at the R-1 school campus as the projects near completion and others begin. These projects are made possible by the voter approved bond issue, which extended the life of the bonds for the new high school construction in 2007. 

Messersmith gave her report at the September school board meeting. Bales Construction is working on a punch list for completion of everything except the concession stand. 

The work already completed include the high school entrance, the secretary’s safety window and the interior doors for the man trap. In the cafeteria the windows were replaced. Windows also were replaced int he Ag room and in the FACS room. 

Reese Equipment Company will asphalt the staff and student parking lot in front of the high school this week. Messersmith said the new concrete bus lanes will be cured and ready, but during the asphalt work, the bus lanes will be used for parking. There will be some inconvenience with parking while the asphalt work is happening. 

The windows that are backordered from Quaker are scheduled to arrive in November. These include the new windows in the west side of the elementary school, the choir room and office, the Ag shop, the FACS stairwell, and the ISS room.  

Rommel’s Lock & Alarm will be installing keyless entry systems on 10 exterior doors.

The board approved for Reese Equipment Company to pour an ADA sidewalk to the elementary gym and preschool playground, new stairs and landing at the elementary playground door, and a retaining wall by the weight room outside of the high school. The price given by Reese was $25,600. This included $6,200 for demolition of the old sidewalk, $13,000 for the new sidewalk, $5,000 for the steps to the playground, $800 for the new retaining wall, and $600 seeding and straw.

Schneider Electric is working to complete the lighting in the high school parking lot. 

With change order six, $5,000 was credited back to the school district for the work the janitor did with installing floor tiles and trim.

With the new concession stand project, they encountered unsuitable soil. It was expected two feet of soil would need to be dug but it became eight feet and it was filled and mixed with gravel. The geological test cost was $5,663 and brought the project cost from $33,900 to $39,563. The concession stand project should be finished by November. 

The board discussed the problem with drains from the Hilke House and the custodian building being too shallow and causing problems with the handicap parking area. The board discussed removing it but had questions about taking all of the water out of both buildings. Board Vice President Penny Schoene said they need more options, and suggested they need to have a short and long term vision on this. The following week Messersmith reported the engineer looked at it and changed the design of the handicap parking lot, which will now face the elementary school instead of the previous design that faced north. This will leave both building’s drainage systems intact. 

The school cafeteria needed some equipment upgrades recently. A new three-door reach in refrigerator was purchased for $4,704.38 from Douglas Equipment for the cafeteria after the existing refrigerator quit working. Also, a new garbage disposal was purchased and installed for $1,950 from Wilber’s Pluming for the cafeteria when the existing disposal was not working correctly.