USD 253 Emporia Public School’s maintenance crews have been hard at work the past several months on several major improvement projects across the district.
The main hub of activity has been at Emporia High School which is seeing roughly $4 million worth of improvements including parking lot updates, interior renovations and much more. The work is part of the district’s “immediate needs” project list, compiled by Director of Maintenance and Grounds Cory Nicolet and his team, encompassing roughly $6 million worth of total projects.
In addition to the work at EHS, similar projects are also underway at Emporia Middle School and Logan Avenue. Following an update on said projects to the USD 253 Board of Education Wednesday evening, Nicolet spoke with KVOE News and stated that all of the ongoing projects are on schedule.
Nicolet adds their three primary focuses with all of the ongoing work have been safety, aesthetics and efficiency exclusively in that order.
During Nicolet’s presentation Wednesday, board members commented they felt as though they were looking at a completely different building as a result of the various improvements that have been made in recent weeks. Nicolet agreed saying “it is like a new building,” but he believes it is not “so new it won’t feel familiar.”
Nicolet adds that while a lot of progress has been made in recent months, their work is far, far from over.
In addition to the update presented, Nicolet also sought approval for the use of additional funds for a repaving project at the Emporia High School front entrance totaling $30,500. Nicolet also requested approval of a $30,300 quote from McConnel and Associates to move forward with an ADA ramp replacement at Logan Avenue Elementary School.
Both requests were approved unanimously.
Separately Wednesday, board members approved the purchase of two new school buses and heard a presentation from Emporia Rec Director Tom McEvoy on how the Emporia Recreation Commission utilizes district-levied funds.
The USD 253 Board will reconvene for their next regular meeting on Wednesday, July 10 at 6 pm inside of the Mary Herbert Education Center.
