School District invites bids for more building improvements

(Above) A schematic drawing from Atura Architecture, Clear Lake, of the new entrance to the Clear Lake High School gymnasium. 

by Marianne Gasaway

Three more projects included in the Clear Lake School District’s $18 million bond issue approved by voters in 2020 are out for bids.

Tuesday night, the Clear Lake School Board met with  Mark Kroemer, of ATURA Architecture, to review plans for the gymnasium entrance/vestibule, parking lot expansion and interior renovation projects at Clear Lake High School. 

The new entrance to the gymnasium features an addition to the east side of the high school building.  The east face is mostly glass, with a 15-foot high ceiling, providing a bright and spacious area for concessions, restrooms and trophy case displays.  The change in the gymnasium roofline, due to the addition, will allow the gymnasium bleachers on the east side to be expanded upward, adding not only additional seating, but a press box.  A team room/classroom and training room are also incorporated into the design.

Superintendent Doug Gee noted the vestibule area can also be used as a collaborative learning space.   

Kroemer added that the addition’s facade will mimic that of the new wellness center currently under construction on the south side of the high school building.  Similar design aspects were also incorporated into the new entrance at Lions Field.

Additional renovations to the high school involve a special education classroom, counselor office, conference room and industrial arts shop and classroom spaces.  The media center will be reconfigured to allow more collaborative space.

A new parking lot will be created immediately south of the current junior/senior parking lot on North 20th Street.  

In response to a question from a Board member, Gee explained that the other high school parking lot, referred to as the freshman/sophomore lot off of 1st Avenue North, will remain available for students, along with wellness center visitors.  A new parking lot is also included in the wellness center design which should serve the majority of that clientele.   Ultimately, the new high school lot will almost double parking spaces at the high school. 

The three projects are estimated to cost about $2.8 million.

According to Gee, the district’s spending of referendum dollars has gone as anticipated.  

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The gym/vestibule area, high school interior renovation and parking lot bids will be opened on March 4.  

The School Board is expected to award the contracts during its regular meeting on March 9.

According to Kroemer, construction on the gym/vestibule area is expected to begin on March 15.  The other two projects will not begin until after school is out for the summer.  

All three projects are scheduled to be substantially completed by late August, before the start of the new school year.

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