VIENNA — The Maries R-1 School Board received a construction update during the superintendent’s board report at the regular November school board meeting.

R-1 Superintendent Mark Parker began the report saying district staff is still making changes to the weight room. Once its completed, they will move the equipment to the new area. Parker said they would like to have an official opening along with the track once it is completed.

Parker gave the board a Power Point presentation, which included photos of the track before the renovation began, and photos showing the construction work on the track as it progressed. Parker told the board he didn’t realize how poor the condition of the track was until looking back at the old photos and comparing them with how good it looks now.

While doing the work, there was a huge rock they knew was there that had to be torn up. It was located on the west side of the track. The rock was either used for fill or was hauled off.

He had several photos that included elementary students watching the construction work, and photos of the work done on areas of the track’s infield such as the long jump area.

One long-standing problem arose during the track renovation project. During the construction process, over a period of a few days the Vienna area received about five inches of rain. The ditch on the west side was backed up and the water took three days to drain away. Parker said they knew there was a clog and more work and additional expense would be needed. Too much money has been spent on the track to not fix a clogged pipe that left water standing on the track.

The work began with digging out eight feet of pipe, which they did and found the pipe full of mud, rocks, plastic bottles, and trash. They continued digging and found more pipe that was really clogged. Parker said the pipe was so full there was maybe two to three inches above the mud, rocks and debris that the water could drain through.

Parker said there were no fittings on the pipe and they uncovered a place where the PVC pipe had been forced to bend. They found the main culprit, which was just past the greenhouse where a downspout from the new band area was tied into the pipe. It was an elbow connection with a metal flange with a tar-like substance on it. The elbow connection had been pushed down into the pipe, basically damming up the pipe. It was taken out and after that the pipe was clear. The Vienna Volunteer Fire Department came and flushed out the pipe. “It’s clear now,” Parker said.

Two additional drains were put in. A downspout near the preschool playground is now going into a drain instead of draining on the road. The clogged pipe was fixed on an emergency change order with Reese Construction for $6,120. Parker said these drainage improvements will ensure water does not collect on the track anymore.

The delivery/service road is finished. Parker reported Reese had to bury a pipe and fix and issue with water along the road curb, running a slotted drain pipe down to the corner so that all down spouts will drain instead of collecting along the curb and under the road. This also involved having them add additional drains along the track sidewalks so water does not collect inside the sidewalk areas.

The sidewalks are completed except for handrails for the ramps, which are in fabrication and will be installed as soon as they are ready.

There has been some interest in bleacher and fence donations to help offset the cost of these new additions. One set of bleachers has been installed. There will be six sections of bleachers, which the school has in its possession but they have not been assembled.

Board member David Long asked about the bleacher sponsorships. Parker said the Novak family paid for a section as did the Bank of St. Elizabeth. Becker Millwork is paying for half of a set and there is interest from the concrete company, Penny Schoene, Fairground Chevrolet, and several more have expressed interest. Parker said if they get more donations beyond the cost of the bleachers, he will put that money toward the fence project.

Board member Mike Kleffner said he wants to be sure the school district “gets a decent sign” to thank the people who donated to the bleacher project that can be seen when people drive by.

The board opened bids on the fence project and Central Fence of Vienna was the low bidder. The company bid $9,630 on the track fence and $4,000 on the propane tank area fence.

Parker told the board he is pleased with the track and glad to have the drainage problems fixed. The company will come back in the spring to make sure everything is okay.

The next facility improvement work will be the safety improvements to the entryways, the exterior doors, and the window project. Board Vice President Penny Schoene said a district patron mentioned to her to make sure the windows look nice. Parker said they will use the same type of windows that were used for the new high school.

Following that is the addition of the hallway and concession stand area.

Parker said also for Phase two of the facility improvements at Maries R-1, if the funding is there, includes extending the track sidewalk from the greenhouse down to the other side of the propane tank area. 

These facility improvements and additions were made possible by voters approving the no-tax-increase-bond issue in June 2020.