A stairway will eventually replace the demolition seen here as the renovation project moves through Phase 3 and Phase 4.
This aerial view shows demolition underway on the 1956 Park Elementary addition. The original 1938 building and its unique features such as its terrazzo and tile will remain.
Work was underway this past week to demolish the 1956 north wing addition at Park Elementary, leaving in place the original 1938 construction.
The project, which received the green light when voters approved a $28.8 million bond referendum to upgrade Hutchinson Public Schools’ elementary buildings, is in keeping with a timeline given late last year. Renovations began inside early this year, with more outwardly visible undertakings having been reserved for the end of the school year.
The renovation projects at Park Elementary and West Elementary, and the addition of Tiger Elementary, overall have a budget of $35.2 million between referendum and targeted school funding.
A digital tour of the building plans can be found on the YouTube page of LHB, the school’s architectural firm, at tinyurl.com/parkrenovations.
WORK PLANS
Work so far has included renovations to the southwest basement wing. It also included the southwest wing on the main level and the classrooms there, and all of the upstairs floor, including the many classrooms there, except for the north wing.
Work also included the bottom floor of the east wing facing Glen Street, and the lunch area, and the east wing on the main floor.
The north wing demolition is part of Phase 3, which was scheduled to follow abatement. A small stairway on the north side of the building will be added during Phase 4.
Overall, the project is scheduled for completion before the 2022-23 school year begins.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The demolition of the 1956 addition to Park Elementary will cut the building’s size down to what is needed to serve fourth- and fifth-grade classes, with second- and third-grade students having moved to Tiger Elementary. It will also reduce the building’s footprint and make room for a parking lot extension on the building’s west side. The district wants to reduce bus traffic and no longer unload students on Grove Street. The lot will also be used for hard surface play activity when there is no bus traffic. Portions of existing paved area will become green space.
Each grade will have a floor of the building, with unique learning areas in the basement. New spaces will be added for small groups to gather. The layout of classrooms will be adjusted to make their sizes more uniform, but not drastically changed. A draft of the layout shows classrooms with the option for nontraditional seating arrangements with clusters of desks for group learning.
The basement’s north-facing windows will be used to extend natural light deeper into the building than is possible now. Art, music and hands-on technology spaces will share a centralized, illuminated space near the media center.
On the main level, the theater and gym spaces south of the main east-to-west hallway will not see many changes. The offices will remain oriented on the building’s southeast corner.
Unique features such as the terrazzo and tile of the building from 1938 are expected to remain. Windows, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, electrical systems, technology, windows and roofing will be addressed to modernize the building and address overheating issues.
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While the music is the draw, children love to spend time with “Jack,” a bronze sculpture by Heidi Hoy, that can be seen next to the RiverSong Stage at Masonic/West River Park.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Head to Masonic/West River Park for the 14th RiverSong Music Festival. Billed as “Minnesota’s Homegrown Music Festival,” it features 14 bands over two days — Friday and Saturday — at Masonic/West River Park in Hutchinson.
Advance tickets are available online at www.riversongfestival.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate. Families are welcome, and to make the festival affordable for all, children age 14 or younger receive free admission when accompanied by a paid adult.
New this year is the entrance. The city is now requiring that all events use Montana Street off State Highway 7 to access the parks. Watch for signage to help with this change. Only campers can use the entrance near Cenex. All others will be redirected along the Frontage Road to Montana Street. You will enter the parking area from the east. Note: It’s the same parking area as past years and it’s free.
Also new is if you choose to ride your bike to RiverSong, you’ll receive a $3 food and drink voucher. You can stash your bike in the secure area and enjoy the festival.
Another change is the ticket gate has been moved near the Front Porch Stage making it a shorter walk from the parking area.
While RiverSong is an opportunity to hear new bands and new music, it’s also a chance to enjoy Hutchinson’s riverfront and park amenities. As it’s been said, there’s #muchinhutch.
For more information about RiverSong, email info@riversongfestival.org or text 503-807-9442.
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During a visit to Capitol Hill while representing 4-H, McKenna Wright was able to meet with Michelle Fischbach.
The Minnesota 4-H delegation presented on invasive species while in Washington, D.C.
McKenna Wright and Isabelle Mecklin from Two harbors snapped this photo at the Lincoln memorial.
On the first day of the Washington, D.C. trip, McKenna Wright collected pins an other items from other 4-H delegations.
If asked what 4-H is all about, most might mention agriculture, science or volunteerism. But what about civil discourse, media literacy and civics education?
That was the subject at hand when McLeod County 4-H’er McKenna Wright applied to and joined a delegation of 37 youth representing Minnesota June 19-24 at the 4-H Citizenship Washington Focus summer program. Their goals were: to develop skills to speak up on issues they care about, to explore important sites at the nation’s capital, to meet national lawmakers, to hear from speakers, to particulate in workshops about citizenship, and to learn from committees and social events.
“The 4-H’ers who go on this trip have the opportunity to learn about cool things they might not get to otherwise, and hopefully they can bring back to our county some of what they learned,” said 4-H Program Coordinator Darcy Cole. “Hopefully she can teach other youth in our program.”
After traveling to Washington, D.C., Wright and the other 4-H’ers exchanged state pins with 4-H’ers from elsewhere, networked and checked in on their first day. The second day was one of sightseeing, with trips to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the World War I Memorial before ending with a series of workshops. The 4-H’ers visited Arlington National Cemetery on the third day before digging in at town hall meetings.
“We discussed three different issues,” Wright said. “Our group got to talk about gun control, and we talked about the importance of mental health and then we talked about dress codes. ... Everyone talked to each other about what we think of this issue and how it could be solved.”
The discussions were carried out in rooms filled with people from different parts of the country. Wright’s included five from Minnesota, and delegates from other states.
The 4-H’ers visited Capitol Hill on the fourth day.
“I got to meet with Michelle Fischbach. She talked about different things going on, especially with agriculture,” Wright said. “I personally got to talk to her about peacocks because she has peacocks at home that are free range. ... We have peacocks so it comes up in a conversation.”
Along with visiting the nation’s most recognizable government buildings, students also met with Amy Klobuchar’s staff, and later saw Twilight Tattoo — a live action military pageant featuring soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment and the U.S. Army Band.
The fifth and final day of the trip featured a problem-solving exercise, with delegations sharing action plans they had worked on throughout the week.
“We focused on the problem of invasive species in the water,” Wright said. “We talked about how to raise funds and awareness.”
They estimated a hypothetical action plan could take about a year to put in place and involved work with 4-H clubs and the state level, as well as with the University of Minnesota Extension and Department of Natural Resources. Prescriptions of the plan included informational posters and volunteers at lakes looking out for practices that spread invasive species.
After flying back to Minnesota the next day and returning home to Hutchinson, Wright said her biggest takeaways were learning how to engage in civil discourse, and how to actively listen.
“We learned a lot about media literacy and about the government,” she said.
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The McLeod County Board unanimously agreed this past week to move forward with preparation for a new highway shop in Glencoe, but it has not yet given the project final approval.
The decision came with a series of resolutions calling for engineering services on a 9,000-square-foot, pre-engineered metal building (not to exceed $54,000), construction management (to be 3.5% of the final contract amount), soil boring quotes (not to exceed $20,000) and a solicitation for project bids. Overall, the work is estimated to add up to $1.8 million for the facility, which is expected to be built on city of Glencoe and Minnesota Department of Transportation property between State Highway 22 and Seneca.
“That number is one that fits with everything, assuming there (are) no big surprises, which we don’t think there will be,” McLeod County Public Works Director John Brunkhorst told County Board members.
A special note was made of the funding source of the project: the county’s Designated for Capital Assets budget. That’s because the project ties back to work done during the past few years when the County Board elected to sell Glencoe buildings county staff worked out of — namely the North Complex, an associated highway shop, and a Health and Human Services building — and move many staff members and public services into one location at McLeod County Government Center on Chandler Avenue. The move was pitched as a way to make it easier for the public to find services, to lower the county’s overhead costs, and to open up property to return to the tax base.
McLeod County Administrator Sheila Murphy noted at last week’s meeting that funds from the sale of the North Complex and the current highway building were in the Designated for Capital Assets budget. Board Chairman Doug Krueger said much of his decision making hinged on that fact.
“I think it’s a fair statement to say that we will not be needing new money to put this building up,” said board Vice Chairman Paul Wright. “There should be available fund balance to cover the cost.”
The proposed highway shop is meant to be a permanent solution for highway department storage in that portion of the county. The Glencoe highway shop has been occupying former county property using a rent-back agreement but must eventually vacate. Discussions surrounding the Glencoe shop have included other options as well. The garage space at the Government Center has been deemed insufficient for Public Works, but useful for other departments. Board members have also discussed splitting up the shop among other locations in the county.
Board member Joe Nagel said he is struggling with the proposed highway shop.
“It’s clear I’m in the minority. I’m OK with that. That’s how this works,” he said. “I will go along with exploring it and just know that we looked deep into the services it would affect in the city of Glencoe, the plow routes, the storage, the size of it. ... There is going to be more questions as we go through it.”
If the project moves forward, final approval would be scheduled, likely around August, with work to begin in late fall before the ground freezes. Wright said he would like to have additional budget discussions before that time comes.
“For the last couple of years we knew this was coming, so we’ve been maintaining a fund balance from sale of property, savings and other places so that we would not have to seek new money, and there is of course other funding sources as well,” he said.
