Nell Holcomb to replace gym, add classrooms

As a student, Darryl Pannier played in the first basketball game at Nell Holcomb School's then new gymnasium. That was 30 years ago.

Today, Pannier is superintendent of the kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school north of Cape Girardeau and directing plans to replace the gym and add classrooms, a new parking lot and a new front entrance.

The district hopes to begin demolition on the existing gym in May when students get out for summer. School officials hope the new construction on the $1.5 million project will be completed by the start of classes in August, or by Labor Day at the latest.

The project will be done without a tax increase, Pannier said.

The district plans to tap into its reserves and enter into a lease-purchase agreement to fund the project. The district could end up financing less than half of the cost, he said.

"It is something we are going to be able to do without going to the voters," Pannier said.

In conjunction with the building project, the district plans to pay off the remaining lease-purchase debt incurred in constructing the junior high school in 1997.

The debt associated with the new project will be at a lower interest rate, which will mean lower payment costs, Pannier said.

Parents will be able to view the architectural plans during parent-teacher conferences from 1 to 7 p.m. today at the school.

Shifting walls prompted the decision by school officials to replace the gym. While it's not in danger of collapsing, Pannier said, the shifting walls on the east, west and south sides of the gym would weaken the structure over time and at some point would make it more vulnerable to damage from high winds.

The project will also address the need for additional classrooms, including a new music room, and provide a stage for school presentations and performances.

Families currently crowd into the gym for student presentations and performances.

The school has 340 students.

School board president Dean Reeves said the board decided to proceed with the expansion and address the gym structure at the same time.

Two classes are held in a trailer just south of the gym. Pannier said the construction project will allow the district to relocate those classes and remove the trailer.

The new building will be larger than the current gym and classroom building. It will cover about 11,000 square feet over two levels.

The main level will feature a music room and stage on the east end, a basketball court in the middle with bleacher seating; and a coach's office and a storage area on the west end.

The project also includes a new entrance to the school facing Highway 177 and a new parking lot.

The parking lot will be built on what is now the front lawn. It will have 50 to 60 spaces.

The current front entrance doesn't face the road. The new entrance, Pannier said, will be more visible to visitors.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123