(KUOO) — Okoboji’s new elementary school remains on schedule to open in about a year as construction moves further inside the building.
Superintendent Will Dible says several groups have recently received an early look at the facility. School board members toured the building following their latest meeting, while members of the volunteer committee that worked on the district’s bond issue also visited the site.
“It is coming along extremely nicely and of course a positive for me is it’s coming along in time extremely nicely,” Dible said.
Construction moves indoors
Crews are now framing and installing drywall in the classrooms. Utilities have been extended throughout the building, the interior concrete has been laid, and windows and doors are being installed in several areas.
“We are what’s considered fully enclosed. Now that doesn’t mean like all the windows are in or anything like that, but it does mean, you know, that the weather is really going to be not so much a factor any more, so that’s always a big step in a construction project. Because once you can kind of discount the weather, you know where it’s going to be too rainy or too wet, then that’s a lot less worry on your timeline,” Dible said.
Glass walls made up of several windowpanes are planned at the end of each hallway. Dible says the design will create an attractive exit while allowing more natural light into the building.
Building designed for current educational needs
The new elementary school will serve students from preschool through fourth grade, with a separate wing planned for each grade level. The early childhood area will be located near the school’s main office.
Bathrooms will be included inside individual classrooms through first grade, in addition to larger bathrooms serving each grade level. Classrooms will also feature upgraded projection and interactive technology.
“We have calming rooms in every single wing for our students in addition to spacing for like a therapy classroom and such with our special ed, a special ed wing. It’s just going to be a really awesome opportunity for our kids and our community kids to have it,” Dible said.
Other planned features include a competition-sized gym and a large, multi-sided stage connected to both the commons and gym areas. Dible says the district intends to make those areas available for community groups to reserve and use.
Improvements continue at high school
Meanwhile, the second phase of improvements continues at Okoboji High School.
The current work is focused on the building’s central core of classrooms and its media center. Students and teachers are making adjustments while construction takes place in those areas.
