Kelly school district moving forward with bond-issue projects

Kelly Schools moving forward with bond issue projects

BENTON, Mo. -- After 76% of Scott County R-4 "Kelly" School District voters passed a $6.5 million bond issue in April, the school district immediately began the steps to help the proposition come to fruition.

"We're very thankful for the passage of the bond issue," superintendent Bradley Kolwyck said Wednesday. "From that day until now, it's been 100 mph. We have been in many, many conversations and many meetings."

In a vote total of 540 to 166, voters on April 5 approved "Proposition Kelly Schools 2022," a no-tax rate increase general obligation bond which addresses safety, facility and maintenance needs throughout the campus. The $6.5-million bond project includes installing a secure entrance and renovations at the middle school; constructing a new 11,000-square building with a classroom, locker rooms and weight room; replacing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; replacing the high school gym bleachers; and installing baseball/softball field lighting.

"So far, of the bond projects, that were listed on the proposition, we have ordered new bleachers; we have completed demolition where the new building will be; we are in the process of the HVAC renovation districtwide," Kolwyck said.

The district had also dedicated local funds to help make the project a bigger one with those funds helping pay for new roofs and bond funds helping pay for the rest.

"Six new roofs are being installed this summer, and we are in the process of that," Kolwyck said. "We are in the preliminary stages of trying to finalize requests for proposals and designs for the baseball and softball fields lights. ... We hope to start breaking ground on the new high school building in late fall/early winter, and that will transition into the final project of the Middle School renovations," he said.

The middle school renovations include enhancing the front entrance, replacing flooring, painting upgrades and installing new ceilings.

"We didn't get to start the middle school renovation this summer because of the delay in everything construction," Kolwyck said. "We weren't able to be 100% sure we'd be done with that project before school started, so with that, we're going to start it as soon as school is out next year and finalize that whole project by August of the next school year."

However, he said the goal all along is to have the bond-language projects finished by the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

"That's the original plan and what we advertised with the proposition, and it's still the timeline for completion," Kolwyck said.

The school district is utilizing the services of the construction management company, Veregy Solutions, which is formerly known as CTS. Dille Pollard Architects of Cape Girardeau is the district's architect.

"I'm excited, but we're moving at a different pace than we wanted," Kolwyck said. "We are making progress. We are doing everything we said we would do, and we will continue to do everything we said we would do. It just may not be at the exact same timeline we had anticipated based on the change in the environment."