Westonka high school construction underway; demolition, utilities and tennis-court timeline discussed

District construction staff provided a detailed owner update on the Westonka Public School District high-school additions and related site work during the board's April meeting.

What the project includes Presenters described the project as four additions: classroom, student services/administration, fitness/special-education (including a storm shelter and redesigned courtyard), and cafeteria expansion, along with mechanical, electrical and main-gym upgrades. Site work includes demolition of existing tennis courts to expand parking, parking reconfiguration and utility upgrades.

Work completed and planned - Mobilization during spring break: crews mobilized to the south three tennis courts and completed interior demo (ceiling, flooring, casework, electrical, plumbing and mechanical) and installation of temporary interior walls to create new exterior lines for the addition. - Power relocation: XL relocated a primary power line adjacent to the planned addition and the fire access lane. - Upcoming April work: larger demolition with heavy machinery (start at around 4:00 p.m. to reduce student exposure to noise), selective underground utilities, storm-line relocation, excavation, and forming/pouring footings and foundations for the addition.

How students have been affected The initial demolition and temporary-wall installation occurred over spring break to limit classroom disruption. Presenters said they scheduled the heaviest exterior demo outside of occupied learning hours where possible to limit noise disruption. An interior temporary-weatherproof wall (Tyvek visible at windows) was described as part of the protection strategy while permanent exterior walls are constructed.

Tennis courts and schedule constraints Resurfacing of the tennis courts (with added pickleball lines) is tied to weather: the vendor requires sustained lows above 50 degrees F before surfacing will begin. Presenters said they aim for end of April or early May for surfacing but acknowledged that cooler weather could push work later. The district also hopes to hold a ribbon-cutting for the new courts on May 21, weather permitting.

Grandview and other sites Grandview work included abatement of tile and asbestos and opening tunnels for mechanical piping work. District staff said crews hope to complete much of the heavier inside work before summer to reduce summer schedule pressure.

Why it matters: The additions expand classroom and student-support capacity, add a storm shelter in the fitness addition and reconfigure site parking and traffic flows. The schedule and weather-sensitivity of exterior work (particularly the tennis courts) will affect when spaces return to regular use.

Quotes and questions When shown recent renderings, a staff member noted, "We actually just got this updated about 2 hours ago but this is a rendering of what the new front entry will look like on the north side of the building." On staging heavy demo, staff explained the decision to start at 4 p.m. "...we're starting as right when school gets out. We'll start demoing that exterior facade," a presenter said.

Next steps District construction staff said they will provide regular owner updates (monthly) and post phasing and photo updates on the district bond website. They also said they will coordinate scheduling and communication with athletics and site stakeholders as work proceeds.

This article summarizes the construction report given during the board meeting; no separate board action on design or contract awards was recorded during the report portion of the meeting.