On Jan. 17, four construction companies bid on the 5,000 square foot proposed elementary addition and the lowest bid came from Tellinghuisen Construction of Willow Lake.  Tellinghuisen Co. is also the construction company who was awarded the low bid when we built our new high school in 2007.

The total cost for everything to complete the project came in at an estimated $849,000. The bids came in higher than what we were hoping at $170 sq. ft instead of $150 sq. ft.; however, we feel the project is necessary in order to meet the needs of our district. Since the cost of the project is higher than expected, we plan to put a few smaller projects on hold and commit to building the addition as construction costs are not expected to go down within the foreseeable future.

The reason why the project is so necessary is because our enrollment has increased.  In past decades, when the enrollment fluctuated higher, extra rooms and space in the old high school building could be utilized. When the new high school was built in 2007, we kept the project as small as necessary for the time and there were no extra rooms added.

The time frame for the new elementary addition project is to begin this spring and be completed by Aug. 31. Please contact me with any questions or concerns about the project at 605-796-4431 or Rod.Weber@k12.sd.us

…See a design for the addition in this w