Prop Y projects in Cape School District not impacted by coronavirus, will proceed without delay

As part of an ongoing plan to drive student achievement, the Cape Girardeau School Board has spent the last three years identifying necessary improvements for district buildings and facilities.

Several remodeling and construction projects were identified in the district’s strategic plan, and the funding for the projects comes from the $12 million bond issue, Proposition Y, passed by voters April 2019.

While the coronavirus has negatively impacted local business operations in the last several weeks and strained the state’s budget, district superintendent Neil Glass said most projects will continue without any holdups. 

In a Tuesday interview with the Southeast Missourian, Glass gave updates on several projects across the district.

Alma Schrader Elementary School

The first major project outlined in the district’s strategic plan is well underway, Glass said, and has been for the past several months at Alma Schrader Elementary School. 

The school, at 1360 Randol Ave., will see additions of a library and a kitchen/cafeteria area, as well as some interior remodeling, Glass said. 

The library addition will also add some classroom space connected to the main building, which Glass said will offer “a nice conducive place for reading and [a] classroom environment.”

The renovations are projected to cost about $2 million, according to Glass.

Jefferson Elementary School

Of the remaining projects covered by Proposition Y funds, three will take place at Jefferson Elementary School at 520 Minnesota Ave. 

The school building was built in 1957, according to Glass, who noted the structure had since seen a few updates. But now, as the school transitions to educate students in preschool through sixth grade, it’s time for some needed renovations. 

As part of the district’s strategic plan, Jefferson will see the construction of a $2 million, multi-phase, multi-building facility, including a natatorium for a planned leisure pool and community center that would connect to a gymnasium on the school grounds. The project design will also include more classrooms and common area spaces to help make room for the fifth- and sixth-grade students as they are integrated into the building over the next two school years. 

Square footage and detailed designs for the Jefferson projects are still in the works, as the Cape Girardeau School Board voted April 27 to contract architectural services from Incite Design Studio. 

The aquatics center, which will house a leisure pool, is a shared project between the City of Cape Girardeau and the school district. The school board gave its approval to move forward with the district’s portion of the project in late April and now await a decision from the City Council. 

“Once that takes place, then we will start the design process for the entire facility,” Glass said, noting the “entire facility” includes the gymnasium and centralized preschool. “We’re hoping to capitalize on some dollars by making that one project where we don’t have duplication of services, so we can make those dollars go as far as we can.”

Centralized preschool

The Jefferson grounds will also be home to a $1.5 million centralized preschool facility for all preschool students in the district. The coalescence of preschool students under one roof is meant to provide the students with a “more robust curriculum,” as well as access to aggregated resources and aides, Glass said. 

And the location for the merged facility was purposefully chosen. 

“We’re focused on our disadvantaged, underserved population more so than ever and really trying to close that achievement gap as quickly as possible,” Glass said, “so that we start seeing some major results when they become kindergarteners and throughout their primary years and up into their secondary career.”

Other progress

As part of Proposition Y, the district also plans to complete parking lot repairs at Cape Girardeau Central High School, Blanchard Elementary School and the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center, projected to cost $150,000 total. By phone Tuesday, Glass said work on such repairs has not begun. 

A total of $200,000 was allotted for repairs to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units at all district elementary schools, as well as CHS and Central Middle School. Glass said he believed one HVAC unit had been installed at the high school, but no other progress had been made on the units for other facilities.

Roof repairs at Blanchard, CHS and the CTC are expected to cost $500,000, and Glass said those repairs have not been made. 

Despite the economic downturn spurred by COVID-19, Glass said the projects are moving forward without delay. He cited ongoing city projects, including the construction of the diverging diamond interchange at Center Junction between Cape Girardeau and Jackson, as examples of other project timelines that have not been interrupted by the virus. 

“We proceed with caution but we don’t want to delay these projects unnecessarily, and right now, we feel like we can move ahead,” Glass said. “And we’ve got good reserves, we’ve got a good plan in place to address any shortfalls, and I feel like we’re on a good path.”

Because the funding for the projects comes from the approved bond issue, any possible cuts to elementary and secondary education in the state’s budget would not have an impact on them, Glass said. 

“Now, what could be an issue down the road — and we don’t know that yet — is operating costs,” Glass said, “but we’re making some contingency plans if the state does provide additional cuts of some nature that we’re able to sustain those cuts. ... We’ve got a good handle on the budget, [and] we feel like we can weather several storms.”