by Sue Webber
Contributing Writer
The Elk River Area School Board on Sept. 14 heard a status report on its current construction projects.
Vaughn Dierks of Wold Architects gave an update on six major projects:
- Elk River High School additions and renovations.
- E-8 Otsego building.
- Rogers Elementary School Early Childhood addition.
- Rogers High School auditorium.
- Zimmerman Middle/High School auditorium, additions and renovations.
- Zimmerman Elementary School Early Childhood addition.
“Elk River High School is the most complicated,” Dierks said. It includes dealing with parking challenges, traffic, an addition to the north side of the gym, moving the office to the main entry and a special education suite.
The largest project is the new E-8 building in Otsego, according to Dierks. It includes two wings for grades one through eight, a parent parking lot on the west side, a bus parking on the east side, and a media center and commons next to the cafeteria.
A third wing is under construction at Rogers High School. That project also includes expanding the parking lot by 188 stalls, reworking the driveway and a 905-seat auditorium (plus orchestra pit, scene shop and dressing rooms adjacent to the music suite).
The Zimmerman High School project includes a 600-seat auditorium, additional science rooms, relocating a music suite to the outside to eliminate portable structures, parking lot upgrades and new science labs.
“We are looking at secure vestibules at all buildings,” Dierks said.
Most of the projects will be out for bids in November and December and are slated to be under construction in the spring of 2016, Dierks said.