City unveils storm shelter at S-C Junior High

The Sedalia School District 200 Board of Education hosted members of the community at an open house for the newly constructed storm shelter at Smith-Cotton Junior High School on Monday night.

Seventy-five percent of the cost of the shelter was paid for through a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Local funds paid the remaining 25 percent and for the addition of a new cafeteria and practice gymnasium housed inside the complex. Board President Jeffrey Sharp said the shelter project met its March 1 completion deadline, while the cafeteria would be “up and running within the next couple of weeks” and the gym will begin use Tuesday. Final approval from the State Emergency Management Agency is still pending, but Sharp said the board is expecting approval by April 1. Once approved, the 33,000 square foot shelter should be able to house about 4,000 people and is expected to serve the community in a one-mile radius around the school.

Sam Winn, owner of Springfield-based Winn & Associates, the project’s architect, said the above-ground shelter features 12- to 14-inch reinforced concrete walls, a 6-inch concrete roof and specialized 28-foot deep piers shaped like augur bits that burrow into the ground and are  affixed to the building’s footings — providing added stability and strength to the shelter.

“We have completed a number of these types of projects, but this is one of the largest. It meets stringent FEMA standards and should prove an asset both to the school and to the community as a whole,” Winn said.

After the tour, the board held a work session during which it heard updates on the district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan which sets targeted goals in curriculum and instruction throughout the district.

In other business, the board gave its approval to Sedalia Parks and Recreation Director Mark Hewett and local architect Rob Rollings for construction of shelters, restrooms, storage and concessions on the campus of Smith-Cotton High School to help serve new fields for the Sedalia Youth Football League.

The board approved an agreement in February to lease land at Smith-Cotton to the Sedalia Parks and Recreation Department. Under the 20-year lease agreement, the parks department is required to seek approval on all construction and improvements.

The board also approved a bid for mowing service on school grounds to Cooperative Workshop Inc. for $44,929 and mowing and application services on soccer and football fields to Superior Lawn, who submitted a bid of $21,200.