Thompson School District bond staff say contracts, design groups in place ahead of spring start

Thompson School District R-2J bond officials said they are finalizing contracts, bids and cash-flow plans so projects funded by the district's recent bond can begin next spring. Tammy Knauer, the district's bond director, said, "We're working on meetings, schedule, cash flow, everything behind the scenes to make sure we're ready next spring to get projects going."

Knauer said the district is selecting teams to complete the work and completing preparatory tasks that must be in place before construction starts. "We have contracts and bids, proposals, selecting teams to complete all the work, and all that is happening behind the scenes," she said.

Zach Chambers, the district's bond project manager, said design advisory groups and design-team meetings are already under way. "Currently, we're getting underway with our design advisory groups at both Bertha Elementary and Ivy Stockwell, as well as design team meetings that have already begun," Chambers said. He added that the district will continue planning for the rest of the bond work in the months ahead.

The update focused on preparatory work — scheduling, vendor selection and design engagement — rather than on final construction contracts or a detailed start date. District staff framed the next steps as continued planning and coordination with selected teams and school communities.

District officials said they expect on-the-ground work to begin next spring; they did not provide a precise start date or a detailed funding breakdown during this briefing. Additional public updates and design meetings are expected as work progresses.