Addition to Motley School building An addition to the west side of the Motley School will include the principal and nurse Construction bids for projects at the Motley School building and at the Staples Motley High School gym were approved at a special meeting of the Staples Motley School Board Friday morning, April 30.

The base bid of $575,400 for the entry and offices at Motley and the high school gym foyer area was accepted from Comstock Construction in Fergus Falls. The base bid of $83,000 for a new floor in the gym was accepted from Athletic Performance Solutions of Oak Park Heights.

Together the projects total $728,790 when architect’s fees, permit fees and contingency funds are included.

The school business office had budgeted $691,000 but the facilities committee recommended accepting the bids even though the total was $37,790 over the budgeted amount.

Board member Chad Longbella explained two reasons why the project bids exceeded the budget. He said about $40,000 was for fire doors added to the Motley project that would keep them in compliance with fire codes. Also, a bathroom was added to the new nurse’s office.

Changes to Staples Motley High School gym Construction will begin immediately after graduation on May 28 on changes to the Staples Motley High School gym. The architect Board member Brad Anderson said the com- mittee discussed how to offset the costs of the projects. One idea was to sell pieces of the old gym floor when it was removed.

Destruction and removal of the old gym floor was included in the bid. Money could also be saved, Anderson said, if volunteers removed the flooring.

Jim Christoffersen, buildings and grounds supervisor, said his staff would do all the cutting of the floor

so there wouldn’t be a liability issue. Volunteers could carry out the pieces to a designated area.

Christoffersen also noted that the painting bids for the gym included protecting the floor. He suggested a potential for savings if there was no floor to protect.

The Motley project includes an addition to the west side of the building creating a new, well-defined entrance. An entrance exists there now that is directly across from the cafeteria.

The principal’s office, a nurse’s office, a workroom, a reception area and a vestibule will be added. An existing conference room and staff room will be opened to form a new corridor to the north of the new construction.

Students will be able to enter through the vestibule directly into the new corridor and the rest of the building. During school hours those access doors will be locked. Visitors will enter the vestibule and will have access through the office reception area. This way office staff can monitor anyone who enters the building.

The work at the high school gym includes removing the current bathrooms and building new ones to the west, directly south of the wall for the ramp into the gym area. The wall into the concession area will also be removed. These two actions will create a larger, lighter lobby area.

The bid for the new gym floor includes moving the floor five to seven feet to the west. This will create a wider corridor for people to walk in front of the bleachers. Currently there is very little space and it is hoped this will help reduce wear on the new floor.

Other alternates to the bids were not awarded at this time. Those included some work on the vestibule at Staples Elementary School and unblocking some windows in the high school media center.

Christoffersen said he was researching other options for the Staples Elementary School vestibule that might be accomplished within the existing budget.