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Smithville R‑II details high‑school renovation timeline, playground and athletic‑field work
Summary
Superintendent Justin Moss and district staff updated the board on schematic designs, construction sequencing, playground installations and temporary access plans for the high‑school renovation and elementary playgrounds; the district said the high‑school project is scheduled to be substantially complete by January 2027.
The Smithville R‑II Board of Education heard a wide update on campus construction and renovation plans during its July meeting, including schematic design for a high‑school addition, a phased playground installation and timelines for new baseball and softball facilities.
Superintendent Justin Moss told the board the district’s design partner Insight Design and construction partner Newkirk Novak have produced early schematic drawings and are working through material and sequencing constraints. “Getting steel is really tough right now,” Moss said, and the district emphasized early confirmation of design documents will allow steel to be ordered sooner.
Moss said the district expects the new baseball facility to be ready by February (before the baseball season) and that work on the softball field remains less certain because the district is still awaiting subsurface information. “We still haven’t gotten to Mammoth what that, conditions of the current, dirt and everything that will be below the field. So that is not finalized,” he said.
Playground work is already underway. Moss said Mammoth has started work on elementary playgrounds and estimated a roughly 10‑week construction window that would complete the turf installation the week after Labor Day for the section currently being worked on. “We are excited to share that Mammoth has started work on our elementary playgrounds,” he said.
District staff described how construction will affect daily operations at the high school. Newkirk Novak plans to close the existing bus loop when work begins on the 1969 portion of the building so large mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems can be rerouted. The district estimates 45–60 days of rerouting work before visible demolition and construction of the new foyer and office areas begin; steel delivery was described as expected by the end of the year, with a target of January for major steel pieces entering the site.
To maintain secure visitor access and limit disruption, the district is planning a temporary entrance through the Performing Arts Center (PAC). The board discussed alternatives for a temporary exterior entrance that would be built for the start of the school year; district staff said an exterior temporary entrance would cost about $85,000. Trustees and staff discussed a lower‑cost option that would use an interior route through the gym and behind the stage to limit the use of bond funds on temporary work.
Moss said the construction sequencing aims to keep certain practice and activity spaces available: the district intends to return the gym/stage area to extracurricular practice use after school hours. He said the overall construction program for the high school is expected to take about one year once major work begins, and the district is targeting January 2027 for the new foyer and front‑entrance areas to be completed.
Board members asked staff to continue reporting on schedules and costs as designs are finalized and contractors provide detailed pricing. The board voted separately later in the meeting to approve the Newkirk Novak construction agreement and enabling‑work authorization (see “Votes at a glance”).
