Ground broken for new Oak Grove Elementary School

Students, district officials and board members broke ground Tuesday for a new Oak Grove Elementary School building in the Turner Public School district. (Photo by Steve Rupert)

Ground was broken today for a new Oak Grove Elementary School at 5340 Oak Grove Road, Kansas City, Kan.

District officials, board members, students and community members attended the groundbreaking.

Almost 70 percent of the voters approved a bond issue for the new $14 million school last October. It is the first Turner School District construction project since the new Turner High School was built, said Jason Dandoy, Turner assistant superintendent of business and public relations.

At just under 70,000 square feet, the new school will be located just west of the existing Oak Grove school.

As soon as the new building is completed, the old school building will be taken down, projected for the summer of 2015, Dandoy said. The new school building is expected to be ready for the term starting in August 2015.

“The new structure gives kids the opportunity to go to school in one building,” Dandoy said. “Right now they are spread out over three buildings.”

Each wing will be divided into two grade levels. The school will include all the current Oak Grove elementary students, as well as a few special education classrooms, he said.

The new building will include certain reclaimed parts of the old structure, he said. It will have pieces of the current Oak Grove gymnasium ceiling used as accent wood. The signs on the new building will be from the current structure, he added.

It also will have security features built in, such as internal and external cameras, card readers, a security vestibule in front, and more.

Zoning was approved for the building on March 27.