Camdenton board hears detailed FEMA‑funded Dogwood addition; staff outline grade‑shift options to relieve overcrowding

The Camdenton R‑III Board of Education spent the bulk of its Dec. 8 meeting on facilities planning, hearing a detailed presentation from architect John McNabb on a FEMA‑funded addition at Dogwood and discussing districtwide grade‑shift scenarios to address overcrowding.

McNabb described a base bid that would attach an L‑shaped FEMA shelter to Dogwood for early‑childhood and kindergarten classrooms and a bid alternate that adds four additional classrooms and non‑FEMA finishes. He said the FEMA shelter design yields efficient, double‑loaded corridors and standard classroom modules; the base bid includes four FEMA classrooms in the L shape and site work to improve parent drop‑off, separate bus circulation, and ADA entries.

“We’re presenting a base bid and a bid alternate so you can see the value of adding the four classrooms,” McNabb said, showing renderings and material options (thin brick cast into concrete for the FEMA shelter, cultured veneer stone and metal paneling for other facades). He explained the base‑bid split McNabb and staff described: FEMA typically covers about 60% of the eligible construction; the district pays the remainder and 100% of ineligible finishes.

Staff offered order‑of‑magnitude numbers: one presentation line put a large, full‑scope project estimate near $22 million; the architect said the district’s pro‑forma for the base bid (construction portion) looked closer to $6.6–$7.2 million with bid alternates raising that total. Staff also pointed to a FEMA reimbursement placeholder of roughly $4 million built into the project budget and noted contingencies are included for unknown site conditions and finishes.

Board and staff discussed site logistics: the plan aims to keep buses to the south and parent vehicles to the north, with separate circulation loops and two proposed secure vestibules for families and visitors. McNabb showed classroom layouts sized roughly 900–1,000 square feet with private restrooms and storage, and a family lobby designed for assessments and parent conferences. Construction timing discussed a tentative schedule: issue bids in January, receive bids in February, start in spring and complete major work before the end of the 2027 school year so staff can occupy the building over the summer.

Separately, district consultants presented a facilities master‑plan capacity analysis and scenarios to ease overcrowding at Dogwood. The consultant noted Dogwood is roughly 245 students over capacity. Options included shifting a grade (for example moving second grade to another nearby school and rolling grades upward) or repurposing underused classrooms at middle and other elementary schools to rebalance enrollment. Board members raised implications for transportation, teacher assignments, encore scheduling and certification; staff said parent advisory committees and building leaders would be engaged in outreach before any boundary or grade‑assignment changes.

No formal vote was requested on the designs; staff said the next steps are to form bidding documents, finalize exterior design choices and return with firm bids and a funding recommendation in January. If the board proceeds with bids as laid out, staff said the FEMA component and related site work would be phased to limit disruption to ongoing school operations.