Tahlequah board hears bond project updates; armory stairwell must be reworked to meet fire code
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Summary
Superintendent reported construction progress on multiple bond-funded projects and said an armory stairwell will be removed and rebuilt after inspections found it did not meet required fire-rating; district staff said corrective work and bids are on a schedule that aims for major projects to be ready to bid in March and select renovations complete by August 2026.
The Tahlequah Board of Education received a detailed update Nov. 18 on bond-funded construction projects, including work at the armory and schedule targets for districtwide renovations.
Superintendent's staff said upper sheetrock and structural steel at the armory are largely complete, windows and canopies are in place, and crews expect to finish painting, ceiling grids, HVAC diffusers and lighting in the coming month. The district said major projects are intended to be ready to bid in March and that exterior facelift and select renovations (bathrooms, a cafe enlargement at Tahlequah Middle School, flooring and other work) aim for completion by August 2026; additional work such as field-house improvements and storm-shelter upgrades is scheduled through August 2027.
During the update trustees learned that a stairwell providing access to a storage area in the armory will need to be removed and rebuilt to meet fire-rating requirements. The superintendent said the district performed earlier work based on an understanding reached with the architect and city that later proved insufficient during inspection and that "we did what we thought we were told to do." She said the stairwell must be treated as essentially fire-rated and that corrective work—removing the stairs and redoing the opening—was planned and signed off so crews can resume work. The superintendent told the board the district will bear the cost to obtain the required occupancy certificate.
Board members pressed for clarity about the mistake and who would pay; the superintendent called it a "lesson learned" and said the district would proceed with the signed corrective plan. The project update also noted a sequence dependency: the STEM center cannot begin until an earlier phase finishes.
The board did not take separate action on the construction report at the meeting but discussed timelines and contingencies that could affect bid schedules and summer 2026–2027 work.