Keokuk, IA – The Keokuk School Board has accepted the schematic designs from SVPA Architects and agreed to move on to the design/development stage.
The list of projects includes a six room addition to Hawthorne Elementary, renovations to Wright Fieldhouse, and electrical and mechanical upgrades at Keokuk High School.
The district's construction management firm, Story Construction, used SVPA's latest designs to come up with a tentative budget for the work.
The estimated cost of Keokuk's priority projects is about $14.6 million dollars.
A representative of Story Construction says the firm took a conservative approach to the budgeting process, especially with the unknown costs of copper and petroleum.
Much of the work is expected to get underway this spring and summer.
High School Eligibility
Meanwhile, the Keokuk School District is changing the eligibility requirements for high school extra-curricular activities.
In the past, high school students who were failing a class at the end of the quarter were not eligible to participate for 30 days.
The Keokuk School Board has voted to change the policy so that eligibility is based on semester grades.
High School Principal Larry Frakes says the change brings Keokuk in line with neighboring districts.
"What we are trying to do is increase student awareness," says Frakes, "to get them to pass classes and also have the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activites."
Frakes says students with a failing grade at the end of the first or third quarter will now be required to attend special study sessions three days a week.
Skipping those sessions could result in a small suspension.
Frakes says it is important to note that the policy covers all extra-curricular activities, not just athletics. He says the only exemption would be for programs where a grade is awarded.