Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Another construction project planned for Macomb School District

An addition to MacArthur Early Childhood Center will double as a storm shelter.
Rich Egger
/
TSPR
An addition to MacArthur Early Childhood Center will double as a storm shelter.

Just one school in the Macomb district lacks a storm shelter. The district is preparing to rectify that.

Superintendent Patrick Twomey said the district will build an addition on the south end of MacArthur Early Childhood Center. It will include a library, a workroom for teachers, and a set of restrooms.

“That whole part of the building will be built as a storm shelter. So they too will have a safe place to go in the event of a natural disaster or storm,” he said.

The project is about to go out for bid.

Twomey said the goal is for construction to begin late this summer or early fall.

Middle school update

Twomey told the Board of Education “significant progress” is being made on the new middle school being built of the current junior-senior high.

However, there is still much to be done inside the building, so the open house Twomey hoped to hold in July might instead happen just before the school opens in August.

He said there is no doubt the building will be ready for the beginning of classes next school year.

“We will definitely be in there. We’ll definitely open up in August,” Twomey said.

Once construction crews complete their work, district personnel will be busy this summer moving in furniture, installing smartboards, and more.

Tri States Public Radio produced this story.  TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.