Top left: Horizon Middle School, top right: Park Elementary, bottom left: Windy Hills Elementary, bottom right: Sunrise Middle School, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The Kearney Board of Education received an update on the progress of various construction and renovation projects that are taking place across the district during their meeting on Monday, July 8.
The updates included the projects ongoing at Park Elementary, Horizon Middle School, Windy Hills Elementary, Sunrise Middle School and Kenwood Elementary.
At Park Elementary, American Disability Act (ADA) renovations and new corridor flooring are being added. The work is currently ahead of schedule with the framing and dry wall hanging complete and restroom tile is in progress.
Cafeteria, office area flooring complete and corridor flooring is in progress.
The upcoming work includes finishing the bathroom tile, set fixtures and partitions, restroom ceilings, painting and corridor flooring.
Horizon Middle School work includes a new slopped roof, new internal roof drain piping and new parapets at the perimeter.
Currently, the project is trending under budget and the interior work is ahead of schedule. However, the exterior roof work is slightly behind schedule, due to the rain and precipitation from storms over the first week of July.
Inside, the piping is 95 percent complete, including insulation. The mechanical chase framing and drywall work will be starting this week, and the ceiling replacement is in progress. It was noted the band and choir rooms should be mostly completed by the end of Monday.
As for the exterior work, the roof rock removal is mostly complete. Temporary roof drainage is in place and the roof demolition and replacement will start this week.
Some of the roof work will continue after school resumes in August but should be mostly focused away from the main entrance.
Windy Hills Elementary is seeing the largest amount of work with a new addition and full renovation of the interior. Students will be housed in Buffalo Hills Elementary during the upcoming school year as the work continues.
Regarding the addition work, the earthwork, foundations and structural steel is complete. The new floor will be poured after the underfloor duct arrives, which is expected this week.
The fire main installation across 20th Ave. to the addition will start the week of July 22.
As for the ongoing renovations to the existing building, the asbestos abatement will be completed this week and the commons floor replacement has been completed.
The plumbing for the new restrooms will start next week and the demolition is expected to be completed the week of July 22.
At Sunrise Middle School, there is an ongoing renovation of FCS and Clean Shop areas.
The clean shop will be renovated into two standard classrooms and that work is now nearly complete, with the lighting finishing up this week.
For the FCS renovation, the flooring is complete, the ceilings are in progress and the electrical work will be completed this week.
New calming and sensory rooms and a conference room are being added at Kenwood Elementary.
The framing and drywall and structural steel are in place and competed. Painting and ceilings are in progress. They are waiting for verification of casework delivery and following this, the flooring will be completed.
Prior to the meeting, the school board held two public hearings, the first to review the 2023-2024 KPS student fee policy. The second was regarding parent engagement and Title I Parent Engagement policies.
During the regular agenda, the board considered a three-year subscription from IXL for kindergarten through 8th grade reading and math support and intervention in the amount of $187,200, which was approved.
The board also approved a new resolution regarding teacher training. This was made to reflect a recent law passed in the Nebraska Legislature that gave local school boards more flexibility in regard to teacher training.
The second and final reading was held for new and revised board policies that included student discipline, public access to school records, public participation, purchasing policy, notice of meetings, promotion and retention, contracting for services, membership in school board associations, student attendance, option enrollment, teacher training, student graduation, classroom environment, school lunch costs and safe school policy.
The next regular meeting of the Kearney Public Schools Board of Education will be held on Aug. 12 at 5:30 p.m. in the Staff Development Room in the Administration Building.
