Fieldcrest to update high school, middle school buildings

Fieldcrest School District Unit 6 voted Wednesday night to go ahead with improvements to meet the state’s health, life and safety standards.

Improvements to Fieldcrest Middle School in Wenona will start in early spring of 2021, and similar improvements at Fieldcrest High School in Minonk will begin in May 2021.

“We’ll have several million dollars in health-life-safety repairs, so we’re working with BCA Architects in Ottawa,” said Superintendent Kari Rockwell.

Rockwell said work at the high school will have to take place during non-student days, but work at the middle school can start while students are present because they have extra space in the three-story wing of the building, which is much older.

The three-story wing of Fieldcrest Middle School will be torn down after the two-story wing meets the health, life and safety standards.

“Our bathrooms here aren’t compliant, and we need new windows,” Rockwell said. “The building will be tuck-pointed. It’s a lot of energy efficiency and safety measures, and getting our elevators and staircases compliant. In a lot of cases, the work is behind the walls so it won’t be seen, but it will be a safer building. The bathrooms really need updating, and that’ll be visible.”

Rockwell said work at the high school will include a small addition to add a new agriculture classroom, as the ones currently in place don’t meet the needed standards. Another improvement includes eliminating the need for students to cross the parking lot to get to weightlifting, health, driver’s education and agriculture classes.

“We had some big hits on our health-life-safety in the ag classrooms, and we have a huge population of students that really enjoy that class,” Rockwell said, evidenced by the board later in the meeting approving a bid for a used tractor. “That population is growing, and we want to make sure our facilities support that.”

The architect in charge of the project, Angela Kalsto, said the school should be able to remain within its budget while adding air conditioning to the high school as well.