Westonka construction update: turf, gym floors and a fall 2027 grand opening timeline

District staff gave a multi-site construction update covering the high school stadium, gym and primary-school finishes and described staging, sequencing constraints and short-term access plans.

Presenters (speaker 2 and speaker 3) showed photos and described visible progress: gym ceiling paint and upcoming wood-floor installation at the high school, demolition of the little theater and portions of the admin wing, and site work for turf and track. Speaker 2 broke out costs for turf installation — saying the subsurface and earthwork are the bulk of the per-square-foot cost while the turf product itself was a smaller portion. Speaker 3 described tight trade sequencing and schedule sensitivity, noting that some work (wood floors, humidity control) requires pauses during curing and that trades are “stacked” in ways that make the timeline sensitive to weather and delays.

At the stadium, speakers said turf crews were scheduled to begin installing turf at the end of the week, and that goal posts and retaining walls are now visible on site. For the WAC (WAC acronym used in the transcript), staff said access will be paved in about two weeks and that the upper lot will remain under construction but will provide interim bus drop-off and access paths with construction areas walled off.

Primary-site updates included Hilltop and Shirley Hills: Hilltop was in mechanical demo with boiler replacement and masonry patching; Shirley Hills is moving into finishes and installing turf this month with carpet, doors, painting and new cabinets being completed.

Staff said the district intends a staged opening: sport-specific or department-specific preview nights (for example, a volleyball night or nursing/machining program previews) while reserving the full grand opening for fall 2027 once the facility is fully complete. The board asked whether there is a firm “drop-dead” date for program starts; staff said students already enrolled in new courses and the district is coordinating background checks and licensing requirements where needed.

Direct quote: Speaker 3 said, "When that turf actually starts going down, people are gonna start getting really excited, and that'll be the beginning of the fun part of the project coming together." The transcript attributes the construction and coordination remarks to district presenters and operations staff.

What happens next: contractors will proceed with turf installation and gym-floor work; the district will continue daily coordination among trades, finalize facade signage in August, and stage sport- and program-specific preview events ahead of a fall 2027 grand opening.