Mason County Superintendent Rick Ross said the new middle school is coming along quickly.
The new Mason County Middle School is anticipated to be finished by December.
According to Superintendent Rick Ross, the construction is moving along “quickly” and he hopes to see the students in the building for the second half of the 2023-24 school year.
During a recent Mason County Board of Education meeting, Craig Aossey from G. Scott and Associates updated the board on the plans for the building and property.
He told the board there is still $506,397.18 in the contingency fund for the new middle school construction.
“I am going to start with a change order that is fully developed and it is for $1,725. It is to add some data and power outlets for a few more locations of digital boards,” Aossey said.
Aossey explained the outlets will be used in conference and reception areas where wall security monitors will be set up.
“When you walk in you can see rotating cameras and knowing you are being watched… Perception is a lot of how security works and knowing you are being watched, you behave differently than if you did not know. So we would like that change order processed,” he said.
Momentum Construction would be the company installing the new outlets Aossey explained.
“So a motion would be moved to accept the proposal from Momentum Construction to add data, conduit and additional digital displays in the administration suite at a cost of $1,725 and to pay for this with available contingency funds,” he said.
Next Aossey said the new middle school project is very far along and there is still more than half a million dollars in contingency funds, because of this he said Mason County Superintendent Rick Ross asked him to look into a possible use for the money.
“He (Ross) said we need a full practice field out at the new site,” he said.
Ross said he feels the construction of the new school is moving along quickly and anticipates a December move-in date, he said he hopes students will be enjoying the new school in the second half of the school year.
“Creating a middle school football practice field at the new site makes sense because otherwise, we would be busing 50 kids to the old site daily during football season, which is not practical. This would also leave the old practice field next to Straub Elementary as a better basis for future tennis courts. This would save significant cost on leveling and drainage verses the current proposed site which is the old track behind the bus garage,” Ross said.
Aossey said constructing new tennis courts on the old practice field could easily save $120,000 in construction costs whereas constructing them by the bus garage drainage costs alone would be between $60,000-$80,000 and would run under the parking lot.
“So I think this will be a win-win for you. You will be able to get a full-size practice field in front of the new middle school. It will actually sit right in front of the STEAM building,” he said.
Contractors and a civil engineer have already visited the site and according to Aossey have already found the best place to put the practice field, where they will not hit rock or other problems.
“So I do not need an action (vote) for this right now because I do not have a figure, I just need a consensus that it is OK to proceed because it will be cheaper now than it will later,” he said.
The board reached a consensus and after being updated on multiple projects to improve the schools in the district including HVAC for the central office and new lights for the football field among others, gave Aossey the green light to proceed looking into the logistics of the proposed practice field.
