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With two months left before the 2020-21 school year begins, a deadline looms for Gil Haugan Construction, Sioux Falls, and project subcontractors.
Luverne School Board members discussed the construction timeline during their June 25 meeting and afterward toured the campus to assess progress.
“They have known for a long time — our calendar has been in place for two years — Sept 8 is our start date,” said Superintendent Craig Oftedahl. “We have not hit many deadlines yet.”
With no arrangements made to bring in portable classrooms, the actual classrooms in Luverne Middle-High School will need to be finished and ready for students in 60 days.
As of July 1, no classrooms are ready for the sixth- through eighth-grade students and only eight are available for the ninth- through 12th-graders.
Project manager Joel Bornhoft with ICS Builds of Sioux Falls provided a new timeline at the June 25 meeting.
He anticipates the middle school classrooms on both floors of the north wing will be ready for use in September along with a portion of the high school classrooms in the south wing.
However, some classroom areas won’t be finished until a month after school begins.
“We are pushing hard for them to get all of it done and ready,” Bornhoft said.
Some remodeled areas ready for use now
Currently only the west second-floor wing is ready for high school student occupancy.
The eight classrooms were completed last September along with the new band and choir suites in the former school auditorium.
Finished this summer were district offices on the first floor of the west wing and new spaces for the middle-high school counselor, activities office, staff lounge and middle-high school offices.
School board members met in the new boardroom, which is twice the size of the original boardroom in 1965.
The larger boardroom allowed more social distancing between board members and will include some new amenities.
“I think it’s nice,” said board chair Jodi Bosch. “It’ll be even better when we get (new) furniture and are able to use the microphone system. There’s also much more room for visitors.”
Included in the tour were the newly completed weight room and physical education classroom constructed in the former band and choir room locations.
Crane movement symbolizes PAC progress
Workers are assembling structural steel framing for the new commons and performing arts center between the existing elementary and middle-high school buildings.
A crane lifts the precast concrete floor and roof decking into place.
Bornhoft said new construction progresses south to north using the crane.
“The further the crane goes north, the more they are getting done,” he said.
Directly east of the new commons and performing arts center is the new middle school-high school kitchen that is scheduled to be finished late this year.
The commons area is slated for completion in February 2021 followed by the performing arts center in April 2021 to wrap up the new construction projects.
Voters approved a $23 million levy in 2018. So far, the district has spent $15 million.