ROCK SPRINGS – Several construction projects were discussed at the recent Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Board meeting. Included was an update on Farson-Eden, playground construction and a community forum on the new satellite high school.
The district has been working on upgrading and replacing playground equipment. On Monday, District Head of the Building and Maintenance Department Dan Selleroli asked to keep Picture Perfect/ Lucky Dog as the contractor for the rest of the playground renovation.
Selleroli reminded the board the project was set up in two phases. The first phase has been completed which Selleroli told the board went “very well.” Work in the second phase includes Overland, Westridge and Desert in Wamsutter. The plan is to add a second playground at Westridge, safety upgrades and additional work at Wamsutter and a new playground at Overland.
Instead of going out to bid, Selleroli asked the board if they would consider just extending the contract with Picture Perfect/Lucky Dog. The board unanimously approved this request.
The total cost of the second phase is $272,435 and will come out of the Major Maintenance Budget. This is funding received by the district from the State and can only be used on specific projects.
Sage Elementary
It was announced Sage Elementary will be closed down this summer for repairs. Selleroli explained they have had some issues with the construction at Sage. He said the concrete siding on the building is cracking and breaking off. The project is still under warranty and so the crews will have to come back this summer to fix the issues. To do this, Sage Elementary will be closed over the summer.
Satellite High School
Both Superintendent Kelly McGovern and Selleroli spoke about the satellite High School. For several years the district has looked at many option on how to take care of the overcrowding issue at Rock Springs High School. The recent discussions focused on a smaller, satellite high school.
The building would be placed on the Bureau of Land Management property next to Stagecoach and Pilot Butte . It would not be a regular high school in the sense there would be no football field, swimming pool, a theater or other amenities.
During one discussion, it was brought up the new high school would be a perfect place to move the academies. While there have been a lot of discussion, McGovern stressed no decisions have really been made.
McGovern informed the community there will be a community forum to discuss the new high school on May 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Administration Building. She urged all residents to come and discuss what they would like to see adding this stage is really the vision stage for the project.
Farson-Eden
The water suppression issue has been resolved on the new school in Farson-Eden and is once again moving forward. Selleroli said the company they are working with wanted to go out to bid on the project in July. He explained he was going to try to wait until fall to bid the project in hopes of attracting cheaper bids. July is a peak time for construction companies and this tends to lead to higher bids.
