Editor’s note: This is the first in a five-part series examining the components of a no-tax-increase bond issue for Kearney R-I School District. The $7.25 million bond issue will be on the November ballot.

By Kevin M. Smith

It’s tight quarters for the food preparation staff at Kearney Elementary School.

Operating out of a 900-square-foot kitchen, lunchroom staff prepare for the onslaught of 289 students in less than hour pouring through the lunch line.

“Don’t back up, I’m getting something out of the oven,” Denise Claypole tells Euleeta Shelton Aug. 27 a few minutes before lunch begins.

Shelton, who is on the kitchen staff, was placing food in the lunch line for Kearney Elementary School students while Claypole, fellow kitchen staff member, was pulling rolls out of the oven. It’s a tight squeeze and delicate balance come lunch hour at the school. There’s not much room for moving as they make the final preparations for the meal.

Kearney Elementary School Principal Jeff Morrison said a separate commons area from the gymnasium is in the top two needs of the building.

A no-tax-increase bond issue on the November ballot has several components including renovations and expansion and Kearney Elementary School.

The last renovation at Kearney Elementary School that Superintendent Dr. Chris Belcher can recall is the addition of restrooms in the 1960s.

“That’s the only difference at that school than when I attended there in 1967,” Belcher said.

Belcher said the school building had served the district well. He said the foundation and structure was solid, it has good-sized classrooms and can serve much longer — with upgrades at a cost of $4.6 million.

Some of the classrooms are deteriorating slightly and the building needs more space. One area that needs more space is the kitchen and cafeteria.

“The prep isn’t good, it lends itself to all sorts of issues like prep and safety,” Belcher said.

The kitchen is the smallest in the school district and the cooks complain about the limited space and limited utilities available. They said they love their job, but would like adequate space to do it. The proposed new kitchen would be 2,245 square feet.

Belcher said, if the bond issue is approved, a new kitchen would be built and modeled after the kitchen at Hawthorne Elementary School.

“It is bright … There is plenty of room to move the food,” Belcher said.

The old kitchen would be converted to office space, Belcher said.

Kearney Elementary is also the only building in the district without a separate commons area from the gymnasium for meals.

“We want every school to have a separate eating area from the physical education environment,” Belcher said.

Belcher said the trend in modern schools was to not have the gym double as the cafeteria.

“Just as people built new buildings … they designed it to meet their needs,” Belcher said about how that trend developed.

Belcher said that is for sanitation and scheduling reasons. At Kearney Elementary School, the first student walks through the lunch line at 11:35 a.m. and the last student leaves the gym from lunch at 12:34 p.m. That’s an hour of time the gym cannot be used plus set up and clean up time.

In addition to a new kitchen and commons area, Belcher said the bond issue would also spruce up the gym.

Belcher said the tile floor on the Kearney Elementary gym floor would be replaced with a surface like that at Kearney Middle School.

“Every year — those tile floors — those kids slide on it, they crack their knees on it,” Belcher said.

The new surface looks like a wood grain finish, but has a little more give to it than a tile or typical wood floor. Belcher said that makes it safer for the students. It is also easier to clean, he said.

“We’ve had great success with that in the middle school,” Belcher said.

Other additions would include a new art room and music room. The total additional space including the kitchen and classrooms would be 13,000 square feet, according to Assistant Superintendent Randy Smith.

Belcher also said the air quality needs to be improved at Kearney Elementary School.

“The air quality in that building is probably the least appropriate,” Belcher said.

He said the building is in desperate need of a new heating and cooling system.

“This is an absolute must ... We don’t’ even know if it’ll last this year,” Belcher said. “The boiler system is just archaic.”

The new HVAC system would cost about $900,000.

“The biggest need is that we have central heat and cooling,” Morrison said.

Kearney Elementary School — the smallest one in the district — is poised for any additional growth in the community, Belcher said.

With 289 students on the first day of school this year and a capacity of 400 students, Belcher said that is where student growth will go at the elementary level. Belcher said he wants an adequate building for the growth in the future.

Currently Dogwood Elementary School, which caters to the part of town with the most recent growth, currently has 474 students with a capacity of 528 students.

Belcher said the renovations and additions to Kearney Elementary School helped meet the Board of Education’s goals.

Among the board’s goals, under the facilities/student growth/student safety section, it states, “student learning environments will be equitable, safe, and suitable for high-quality instructional delivery every year.”

“With this, we will finally get to that goal,” Belcher said. “This bond issue is really targeting that goal.”

Other components of the bond issue are technology, security, upgrades to the auditorium at Kearney High School and maintenance.

The total bond package is $7.25 million.

Renovations/expansion costs:

- General Construction Costs — $2.47 million

- Renovation Construction Costs — $295,000

- HVAC Upgrades — $900,000

- Fixed equipment — $165,000

- Professional fees and support expenses — $386,555

- Contingencies — $383,650

- Total cost — $4.6 million

Kearney Editor Kevin M. Smith can be reached at 628-6010 or kevinsmith@npgco.com.

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