Back-to-school series
School projects wrapping upBy Cindy Votruba
For now, the Lake Benton School administrative office is being housed at the Lake Benton News as the school completes a $4.4 million building project.
But Lake Benton Superintendent/Principal Summer Pankonen assures that the school will be ready for students Tuesday.
"We're still on track for teachers to get into the older part (of the school) to get to classes on the 2nd," Pankonen said.
Both Lake Benton and Minneota Public School have undergone multi-million dollar building projects this summer. Lake Benton's project includes demolition of the 1917 and 1957 portions of the school and a new addition. The Minneota Public School is putting the finishing touches on a $5.5 million heating and ventilation project, which includes replacing the boilers, the vents and ductwork.
School officials from both Minneota and Lake Benton said the buildings will be open and welcoming students come Tuesday.
Lake Benton School's new addition includes administrative offices, a special education room and a kindergarten room, which was started in mid-July, Pankonen said.
The new part of the building may possibly be a couple weeks behind, Pankonen said, but it won't take much to make adjustments for the kindergarten classroom in the meantime.
Lake Benton's project began toward the end of the 2007-2008 school year. Pankonen said the pool was demolished in mid-May with the school being cleaned out on May 23. Both the older part of the building was torn down in June.
Pankonen said the first- through sixth-grade classrooms will also have a new look.
"They were completely renovated - new flooring, new ceiling, rewiring," Pankonen said.
Pankonen said the floor tiling began around mid-August, and classrooms will be outfitted with new equipment.
"Each classroom will have a smart board with a ceiling-mounted projector," Pankonen said.
The Lake Benton School will also have a new media center and technology lab. Pankonen said the school has never taught elementary technology classes, and computer courses will be offered to students in grades four through six.
"That's kind of exciting," Pankonen said.
Pankonen said the project also includes a new parking lot.
In Minneota, Superintendent Dan Deitte said the heating and ventilation project, which started in mid-April, is almost complete
"We are very, very close to being finished," Deitte said.
The only thing that was needed, Deitte said, were some of the necessary pumps for the chillers. The pumps arrived a few days ago.
"They're providing a more efficient way for heating and cooling," Deitte said.
A lot of the ventilation system was older and becoming inefficient, Deitte said, so it was better to just do the entire school.
"They went through every single classroom," Deitte said. "The whole building will be dehumidified."
It will save money in the end, Deitte said.
"It's supposed to save 20 to 40 percent of energy (costs)," Deitte said.
The classrooms are back together and teachers started work Tuesday, Deitte said.
"The school definitely will be ready for kids," Deitte said.
Deitte said construction is expected to be totally completed right after the school year begins.
"By the end of the second week of school, there won't be anything (work) left," Deitte said.
