Competition, auxiliary gyms at Miller get new floors this year
T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM On Thursday, Boyd Jones crews conduct precast work at Miller Middle School. School beginning on Aug. 24 has not delayed progress on the Reimagine Miller project, which is expected to be completed in late summer 2029.
T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM On Thursday, Boyd Jones crews conduct precast work at Miller Middle School. School beginning on Aug. 24 has not delayed progress on the Reimagine Miller project, which is expected to be completed in late summer 2029.
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Progress continues on the Reimagine Miller project, and some details were approved on the finalization of Franklin Field.
At the Tuesday meeting of the Marshalltown School Board, members were updated on the large construction project at Miller Middle School. There will be a lot of activity during the next two weeks, activity which will not interfere with student learning.
Boyd Jones Project Manager Mark Pfister said work has gone well since the start of the new school year on Aug. 24. This week saw the beginning of pre-cast work.
"If you've driven by there recently, we did start pre-cast on the east side of the building," he said. "That kitchen area is kind of standing up in the air now. So, that'll continue to look more and more like a building standing there as we go the next couple weeks."
Steel will be set in the next couple weeks, and residents will be able to tell something is standing on the front of the site, he added.
The new wood floor for the competition gymnasium is expected to arrive this week. Crews will begin installing next week, and it should take three to four weeks to complete.
Superintendent Theron Schutte said the goal is to finish the competition gym around early October.
The competition gym is not alone in getting updates as roofing on the auxiliary gymnasium will begin next week, followed by work on the gym floor.
"We're looking to take down that scaffolding so everything up above the ceiling will be done around the November time frame," Pfister said. "It'll really start to look like something in there here in the next few months."
There is also ongoing elevator work.
"We should have the elevator inspected and turned over before the end of the month," Pfister said. "That'll trigger us doing some more demo on the existing elevator and that portion of the front of the building that we still have to demo off."
He added that even though people cannot see what is happening inside the auditorium, there is a "ton" of activity. Duct work is being installed into the ceiling and catwalks are getting placed. Soon, drywall work will begin on the ceiling.
The revamped Franklin Field, which was part of Reimagine Miller, did not go untouched at the meeting. Clapsaddle-Garber Associates Vice President Adam Daters presented a contract amendment regarding a proposal to move throwing activities, such as discus and shotput, from the practice field at Miller Middle School to Franklin Field.
"This amendment also covers a reduction in the original contract amount of $1,500," he said. "We are really just kind of moving our services from what was our original contract to this amendment."
Schutte said the plan is to get quotes to construct areas for shotput and discus this fall so they will be ready in the spring.
According to Pfister, there will be a punchlist walk for the track this week, which should wrap everything up for Franklin, Pfister said, aside from reseeding and replacing a couple of trees. Other than some minor details, the field is open, and a ribbon cutting was held Aug. 21.
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.