It’s been about a year since major construction was completed at Iola Elementary School, and the school board is just now spending the last dollar.
Board members approved two outdoor projects on Monday that will use up the final dollars left from the $35.3 million bond issue. They include new concrete and turf for playgrounds.
In 2019, voters approved a bond for new school facilities. It included the elementary school for $25.5 million, a new science building at the high school for $7 million, and new HVAC for the middle school for $2.8 million.
Under the terms of the bond, the district could spend the money only on school facilities and within five years.
The school board and its construction manager Randy Coonrod kept a close eye on finances, saving money when possible and postponing projects that weren’t essential.
The timeline also gave them time to see where the needs are.
That’s what led Maintenance Director Aaron Cole to ask for turf at the elementary school. Board members approved a bid of $172,478.59 from Mid America Turf & Landscaping of Warrensburg, Mo.
Drought conditions over the past two years have prevented sod and grass from taking root at a playground area east of the building. When it does rain, the ground turns to muddy clay and staff attempt to corral students to areas that have some other type of surface.
It’s a problem because the new elementary school is carpeted, Superintendent Stacey Fager said.
“The custodial staff spends a lot of time cleaning carpets,” he noted.
Soccer and baseball fields also are planned for the area, so turf is a good solution, Fager said.
The board also approved a $30,000 bid from Fermin Construction of Alva, Okla., to build a 4-inch, 30-foot by 46-foot concrete pad at the preschool playground and install basketball goals. Crews will also lay concrete in another section that will measure 30-feet by 80-feet.
The money for that project will come out of the district’s capital outlay fund and not from the construction bond, board member Dan Willis said. He and Tony Leavitt have been monitoring spending on the board’s behalf.
Willis said the district will spend the remaining construction bonds on an awning over the front entrance to the elementary school.
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