Jackson High School work begins in the streets

When Jackson High School students head back to school on Aug. 17, the campus won't look much different from how they left it in May.

The only noticeable change may be a Quonset building -- used for maintenance -- is gone. The school district tore it down a couple weeks ago to make room for construction.

Last August voters approved a $19.8 million bond issue to refurbish Jackson's high school, which is more than 50 years old. The campus, made up of several buildings, will eventually be housed under one roof. Other projects include a new library, cafeteria and activities center. Other parts of the existing campus will be renovated.

Despite few visible changes, school officials have been busy preparing the high school for a major transformation.

Dr. Ron Anderson, superintendent, has attended numerous Jackson Board of Aldermen meetings during the summer months to ask the board to change traffic flow around the high school.

Several streets -- West Madison, West Jefferson and Colorado -- were changed from one-way to two-way traffic on June 1. In addition, sections of South Russell and West Madison streets were vacated.

The traffic control modifications were made to accommodate the construction of the new high school, Anderson said.

Streets to reopen soon

"We wanted to get the streets changed before school started so people could get used to them. It may take some adjustments," Anderson said. "The real test will be when school starts."

Another traffic modification that Anderson believes will benefit students and parents is a new stoplight at the intersection of Oklahoma Street and Jackson Boulevard. The light was installed by the Missouri Department of Transportation as part of its Highway 34/72 widening project.

Several streets intersecting Highway 34/72 have been closed during the summer months because of construction to the roadway. Two of the blocked-off streets, West Lane and East Lane, are direct routes to West Lane Elementary School and Jackson Junior High School.

Eric Krapf, MoDOT project manager, said the goal is to have the streets opened when school starts in mid-August. "They're pretty close to be done around there," he said. "We wanted to get that work done while students weren't in school."

The school district doesn't anticipate any traffic problems from the Highway 34/72 construction work, Anderson said.

The main thing Anderson said students and parents should anticipate is major construction work that will be taking place on the high school campus during the next few years. "There's going to be a lot going on," he said.

Recently the school board awarded a $373,000 contract to Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson for a new maintenance/warehouse facility. This new building will be the first phase of improvements that will be funded with money from the $19.8 million bond.

The district plans to advertise for bids for the new high school over the next few weeks, Anderson said. Construction at the campus could start this fall.

For band teacher Tom Broussard and vocational agriculture teacher David Wells, the start of construction will mark the beginning of better education for Jackson students.

"Our current facilities are not adequate. Our shop has been outdated for some time," Wells said.

Music department growth

Jackson's vocational agriculture program is the sixth-largest in Missouri. "We're about as big as we can get with our current facilities," he said.

All vocational programs will be moved into the primary annex building, which will be remodeled to facilitate industrial arts and the agriculture programs. The cafeteria in the primary annex will be converted into a wood shop area, Wells said. "Hopefully we'll be in there by the next school year," he said.

Jackson High School's music department faces overcrowding issues as well, Broussard said.

"The current structure we're working in was designed many moons ago, and at that time they had one band director," Broussard said. Today there are eight teachers that work in the music department.

"The program has grown inside this tiny structure," he said. "We're going to be able to provide much better opportunities for our students in the new building."

Broussard estimates 700 out of the 1,200 high school students are enrolled in music programs. "This new building is going to be a wonderful thing. We really can't wait to get in it," he said.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246