Idabel Public School’s latest bond project is underway and will put a capstone on the original plans from 1977 with the addition of a new 8 lane all-weather track and turf stadium on the high school campus. It will also include a new band hall with restrooms and plenty of storage to accommodate the growth and success of the instrumental music program.
The $7 million dollar bond, passed in September with more than 80% of the vote, will allow the school district to make additional much needed safety upgrades to the 700 Hall (the Agriculture, Alternative Education and Athletic wing) at Idabel High School.
While most bond project progress is not visible to Idabel residents right now, the district and school board have been involved with development and design, construction presentations, beginning the bids process and coordinating with our construction manager and architect.
With any multi-year bond, when addressing multiple projects, there’s a lot of planning that takes place, so the community won’t necessarily see a lot of dirt being moved right now. Right now we are spending a lot of time in the development stage, the design stage. We are being very purposeful in our approach to these projects. We are mindful to plan not just the years for these bond projects but remembering to consider the future.
As planned, most major construction on Idabel Public Schools is slated to start at the beginning of summer 2020. Some work should start rolling out earlier in the spring, the projected start would be April.
While the project rollout may seem slow, work is being done. Right now engineers are scheduled to test the soil, surveyors are scheduled to complete civil surveys, the architect is finalizing the construction documents and the construction manager is preparing for the start of the bids process and developing a timeline for completion.
The District is hearing questions from the community about “when is it going to get started?” or “When will we see it completed?” But we all want it to be done right and we know with a project like this that will change the face of the campus for years to come and will effect several generations of Warrior students, we want to be sure we are doing things the right way the first time. We will be diligent in looking at all aspects and making sure we are making the best choices for the dollars we are going to be spending.
GO WARRIORS!