The Perry County school board decided to move forward on demolition and proposed rebuilding efforts at Perryville High School during its regular monthly meeting on June 10. Architects from SAPP Designs presented designs and blueprints to the board at the meeting.
The estimated cost of the project is in the range of $60-65 million, according to SAPP director of projects Steve Telscher.
Telscher and Brockmiller construction president Colin Rodgers urged the board to move forward on the project so demolition can take place during the summer while students are not in class, reducing the risks and noise levels associated with demolition occurring while classes are in session.
Approximately $25 million in funding for the project will come from FEMA reimbursements, insurance and district funding, leaving $35 million that the board said will be paid for by the Proposition K.I.D.S levy should it pass. If approved, the measure would allow the district to increase its operating tax levy by 22.15 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
This would allow the school to borrow the necessary $35 million to invest in the project.
The measure would raise the district’s operating levy to $3.4979 beginning in 2026, and it would be reduced by an estimated $.5440 when the temporary levy sunsets in 2046.
The board recognized the risks involved with moving forward on the project, particularly the possibility of the scenario in which Proposition K.I.D.S. does not pass in August, leaving the school without much of the funding needed.
“It is a risk, but we can not leave our kids in limbo for another year, we have to do something,” Board vice-president Nancy Voelker said.
Superintendent Dr. Fara Jones addressed members of the public the following morning at the Perryville Chamber of Commerce’s coffee and connections event. She spoke about the funding situation, what the new school building will include, and why it is necessary to rebuild instead of renovate.
“Just last week we officially got it in writing that FEMA will be making the decision, making the declaration that it would be more expensive to repair versus to just replace. We knew that all along,” Jones said. “The building that was most severely damaged was built in the 70s. It’s not up to any code, nothing seismic, not ADA compliant, all of those things. And any time you start making changes to a building that’s not to code, everything’s going to be brought up to code.”
Jones said there still isn’t an official number for what the cost will be, but one will soon be known, and the district will release numbers to the public as soon as possible.
The proposed new building is expected to be 140,000 square feet, and feature 34 classroom and lab spaces, as well as a 14,000 square foot gymnasium.
“Yes, that is large. And we need it, our community needs it,” Jones said regarding the gymnasium. “Our last game that was played in our high school gym was a St. Vincent basketball game. So we have a large enough gym to host the postseason play, and so all of the schools in the area can continue using that just like they did our other one.”
The new building would also feature a 10,000 square foot multi-purpose center that Dr. Jones said will be useful not just for the school, but for the community as a whole.
“Think of all the things that could be in this nice large space with a stage up front,” Jones said. “Retractable seating that opens up. We can put tables in there for banquets, for meetings, for presentations, competitions, prom, dances, presenters to come in for businesses. There’s so many things that we think this multi-purpose space can serve, not just for the schools here in our community, but other businesses as well, something that the taxpayers can utilize and share. We’re super excited about that. We’ll have a beautiful stage, we’ll do the best we can to fit it out with sound and all that so we still can have our theater productions there.”
More information about the recovery efforts, updates on demolition and construction, and a list of frequently asked questions with answers from the district can be found on the PCSD website at https://www.perryville.k12.mo.us/page/recovery.
Jones said the district will soon announce several public forums on different days and at different locations throughout the summer, and encouraged the public to attend and ask questions to learn more about the project.
“We feel like we just really have to do a better job of getting the word out. And we need your help with that,” Jones said. “We can easily tag our parents. We easily have that group, our board and our parents and our staff, but getting our hands on other community members and getting the opportunity to connect with them is really going to be very important for us going forward. We want to run this as transparent. we are willing to answer anything. Just give us the questions and we will fill you with information.”
The first public forum will take place June 18 at 6 p.m. in the Perrry County Middle School gymnasium.
