WM DRC gives nod to Maddux expansion

WM DRC gives nod to Maddux expansion

New gym, classrooms for elementary school

news@theeveningtimes.com

Summer break arrives soon, to the delight of students everywhere. But this summer, while Maddux Elementary students begin to enjoy the summertime off, construction of a new addition will begin. The West Memphis Design & Review Commission considered the architectural details at the board’s April meeting.

The nearly-$3 million, 15,000-square-foot expansion will match the existing brick on the building and feature new rooms for art and a music set to one side opposite a brand new gym, all under one metal seam standing roof. The peak of the roof is offset from the center of the addition with the larger section shedding water from the gym side.

The West Memphis School District is planning on adding gymnasiums to the elementary schools, including a site search for a new combined school on the east side of the city. Construction projects at Faulk Elementary and West Junior High had already been announced in recent months. An all-new Bragg Elementary is already in the early construction phase.

With the latest project ready to come off the drawing board, Ladd Garey of EFTC Architects presented the plans to the DRC for consideration.

“We are looking at an addition on the back, doing a connector off the existing cafeteria” said Garey. “The gyms high roof slopes to take away all the water. The other big thing we are doing is CMU (concrete) bearing walls with matching the two color brick veneer already there, brown brick with red bands. The roof will be a little darker than the buff brick.”

Garey unrolled drainage improvement plans at the school site.

“We did these to help where they are already having some problems,” said Garey.

While the DRC gave the design plans their approval, a final color pallet is still being considered by school district officials and the anticipated necessary funding is in the prerelease stages.

“We are waiting for the state to release money and some of the interior stuff needs to be done over the summer,” said Garey.

“We’ll get started right as school is getting out.”

The older part of the building will get an upgrade, too. A fire sprinkler system is being added.

“While we are refurbishing, we will do that to code for more allowable area,”

said Ladd.

By John Rech