Broken Bow Preschool Project to be Completed in a Few Weeks

Broken Bow Preschool Project to be Completed in a Few Weeks
Hallway of the new Broken Bow preschool addition

BROKEN BOW–The Broken Bow preschool project broke ground in September 2020 and is now just weeks away from being completed in July.

“The goal is to be done by July 1 and start moving in from the Custer building over to the new preschool for the following school year, definitely be starting up school in August up at North Park with our Pre-K through [age] 5 so we’re excited about that,” Superintendent Darren Tobey told KCNI/KBBN.

The new preschool is on the north end of North Park Elementary and one goal has been for the addition to look similar to the current building with matching siding and brick. The interior will have multiple offices, four classrooms, a sensory room, a speech room, storage, and restrooms. Depending on enrollment numbers, one classroom may be used for indoor recess and other activities. Final cleanup will begin soon along with tile flooring and carpet being laid down.

Superintendent Darren Tobey stands in one of the new preschool classrooms.

Mr. Tobey said the deadline for construction to be complete is July 1. The construction company–Chief Construction–will be fined $5,000 per day beyond the deadline as part of the $1,899,000 contract.

The current preschool has been at the Custer building for about five years and also housed programs from birth to age three, according to preschool teacher Jessica Gibbons. Gibbons said she is anxious to collaborate with the kindergarten teachers upon moving to North Park in order to see what they do day-to-day in their classrooms.

“I think one benefit of moving the preschool over here to North Park is that transition to kindergarten will be so much more smooth,” Gibbons told KCNI/KBBN in a September 2020 interview.

The preschool addition has been discussed by the school board since February 2019 and the contract with Chief Construction was approved by the school board in a 4-1 vote on August 17, 2020. The groundbreaking took place September 24, 2020.

Broken Bow Preschool addition on the north end of North Park Elementary. Photo taken the end of April 2021. The project is expected to be complete by July 1.
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