Talmadge Reasoner, assistant superintendent of operations for Seymour Community School Corp., recently gave an update on the 2020 building projects and construction plans for Margaret R. Brown Elementary School.
During a board of education meeting Jan. 10, Reasoner told trustees that the Seymour Ag-Science & Research Farm at 721 F Ave. East in the Freeman Field Industrial Park had been waiting on some rooftop units, which were delivered and installed over Christmas break.
“We have been awaiting their delivery for many months due to supply chain delays,” he said. “The new spaces have been in use all school year, and we are planning an open house for that facility following the chamber of commerce ag breakfast on March 31.”
He said the contract for the construction of a new greenhouse has been awarded with a substantial completion date of May 1.
Several benchmarks also were achieved over Christmas break at the Seymour Middle School Sixth Grade Center, he said.
“It was a joint effort between all of our contractors and several of food service workers and skeleton crews working weekends and Sundays,” Reasoner said. “They put in a lot of work to be able to orchestrate it to have breakfast ready to be served Monday morning and PE class in the gym, so kudos to all of those folks.”
He said there are still items that need to be completed there, such as painting and trim in the general open areas.
“Food is still being prepared in the old cafeteria because there is some electrical equipment used that is held up in the supply chain that will hopefully be in around the 19th of this month,” he said. “They are serving the meals out of the new cafeteria, which is a bigger space and a little wider and it calms them down a little bit and it’s just a nice, easygoing atmosphere.”
Reasoner said the south courtyard is completely framed, and they’re starting to make that weathertight. That’s where some classrooms will be, and they’re starting to remodel the old cafeteria into what will be administrative suites.
“Construction is running about a month behind due to delays in receiving various electrical equipment components throughout the project, and it’s anticipated that the project will still be substantially completed this spring,” he said. “This will give us time to make the necessary preparations to successfully open the school in the fall as Seymour Intermediate School, which will serve all of the district’s fifth and sixth grade students.”
Principal Loriann Wessel and Assistant Principal Kelly Wilson also addressed the school board and shared photos of some of the newly constructed areas at the school.
Wessel said the first day back after Christmas break was a big day for them.
“We had our very first PE class that has been able to have class in the new gym,” she said. “If you could have only seen these students walk into this massive space and see the shiny floor and the bright lights.”
Wessel said she thought for a lot of the kids, it was the biggest room they have ever been in.
“I got to see the kids come in, and for a minute, it was almost like it wasn’t real to them, and it was amazing and wonderful and we’re so excited about the potential for the space,” she said. “As our new classroom spaces become available to us, we are trying to make sure that the seating block in each classroom is flexible so we can put them in all different kinds of arrangements.”
Wessel then showed a photo of one of their resource classrooms and also the current remodeled cafeteria, which was the old gym.
“When the kids came in, you could tell immediately their behavior and their attitude reflected the space,” she said. “They acted more mature, they acted like they had pride in their setting and so we were excited about that.”
Wessel said there was a lot of work put in by the custodial staff and food service staff to pull all of this together, and they are really excited about it.
Wilson handed out T-shirts at the board meeting that displayed the school’s new logo and wording for the future Seymour Intermediate School.
“We are very excited, and we hope you are, as well,” Wilson said. “We are very thankful, too, for all the resources, the money and materials and everything that has gone into this building.”
Reasoner told The Tribune on Monday morning that at Seymour High School, the corporation is still on schedule to be granted occupancy of the new portion of the administrative suite, eight new classrooms and associated small group rooms at the high school on March 1.
“Additionally, we are on schedule to be granted occupancy of the new kitchen/cafeteria, large group instruction room and restrooms by July 1,” he said. “The first of two locker room conversions in the auxiliary gym will be completed very soon.”
Reasoner said in essence, the two locker rooms located in the auxiliary gym will be split into four, which will allow much more flexibility when assigning spaces for teams during out-of-season workouts and tournaments.
The construction at Brown Elementary School is still in the design phase, and the goal is to begin work on the first day after the last day of school and should take around 18 months. The last day of school for students is May 25, and the last day for teachers is May 26.
Reasoner said preliminary designs for the project include the construction of a new kitchen, cafeteria seating area and gymnasium to be located around the southwest corner of the building and continue along the south side.
Once the new spaces are constructed, Reasoner said renovations of the current kitchen, cafeteria seating area and gymnasium can begin, allowing for the creation of seven new classrooms, three small group instructional spaces and a pair of boys or girls group restrooms.