A tentative schedule for Miller Middle School construction was given to the Marshalltown Community School District Board of Education during the regular Monday meeting.

Boyd Jones Senior Project Manager Michael Martin told the board members 90 percent of the project would be put out to bid on Jan. 13, 2026.

“Just so everyone is aware, this is when we’re going to start trying to transition into construction, pre-construction updates versus mainly design as we’ve been doing the last couple of months, as well as budget,” he said. “Those are still going on in the background.”

Martin said he knows many people are asking when the construction work will begin at Miller Middle School, and he was there to provide clarity.

The team has released elevators, precast and curtain walls out for bid, he said which make up 10 percent of the project. The bids are due Nov. 11.

“We’re working through phasing with the district right now and logistics,” Martin said. “That’s going to be over the next couple of weeks here.”

Tentatively, he said the team should start work around spring break with staging, site security and setting up trailers. Martin assured work will not occur inside the building until school is out for summer. Once contracts are in, the rest of the schedule will be forthcoming as soon as some of the basic discussions are finished.

“It will be pretty neat to see once we’re all done with scheduling, to see how we flow from one space to the other,” Martin said.

Board Member Karina Hernandez asked how the project will impact transportation and parking. Martin told her information on those aspects is coming, but there will be impact to some things.

“The team is venting through to see exactly what that looks like and the best path forward,” he said. “In essence, we touch almost 90 percent of the facade of the building, to give you an idea, but we will provide access.”

Board Member Zach Wahl asked how long of a process it would be. Martin told him it would take between 36 and 40 months from the day it starts to the day it finishes.

Franklin Field

Martin also provided an update on the Franklin Field revamping project, which is the first part of Reimagine Miller.

“I know a lot of you guys have been by the site in the past few weeks,” he said. ” . . . As far as construction goes, the synthetic turf is 100 percent complete. The asphalt base is done, but the track is not done.”

The weather was the reason for the delay in the track finalization, Martin said. Thus, the completion has been pushed back to the spring of 2026.

“Several factors went into that, such as unforeseen conditions with rain,” he said. “At this time, that was one thing we weren’t able to get done.”

A few other things yet to be completed are the north shelter, bleachers, restrooms and pressbox, which should be finished this month. The lower playground and concession stand should be completed in December. The 6-foot security fencing surrounding the site and landscaping are ongoing.

For the Franklin budget, Martin said they have $108,883 of the allowance and $165,162 of the contingency remaining.

“So, both of those added together is [roughly $270,000] we would give back potentially in the next couple weeks as we close up contracts,” he said.

Martin added that they have finished 186 days or 19,356 hours without any work-related injury or incidents.

“Other than that, the turf looks good, the kids have been using it and I don’t think there’s been any issues,” he said in closing.

Board President Sean Heitmann asked for confirmation on if the track is supposed to be done before the end of the year, and Martin said that was correct.

“I think it’s kind of amazing what you were able to do with all the rainfall we did have,” Wahl said. “. . . I am a little disappointed the track is not going to be done quite yet, and I’m hoping it will be ready for the kids in May, but if I understand this correctly, it looks like we’re way under budget around $200,000-plus.”

Superintendent Theron Schutte said the field looks amazing, and the community is very excited for it. He did say it has been a challenge to keep the general public off.

“We’ve worked with Boyd Jones to fortify it. People are very creative in how to get around the security, whether it be young people or adults,” Schutte said. “But we understand their anxiousness to use the facility.”

——-

Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.