Oklahoma School District Seeks Funding for Dome Buildings

An Oklahoma school district is hoping to receive a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to supplement a $1.7 proposed bond issue needed to fund new construction. Hulbert Public Schools in Hubert would use the federal money to finance a new Monolithic Dome elementary school and cafeteria that would double as community disaster shelters.

Some of the district’s elementary students are currently attending classes in temporary buildings, or prefabricated structures very similar to those found in trailer parks, according to an article in the Tahlequah Daily Press.

“We’re wanting to make sure we do what’s best for the school down the road,” HPS Superintendent Dr. David Wilkins said in the article. “As it is, all of our facilities will need some attention, but these projects are our most urgent needs.

“We’re working with FEMA on a grant for the cafeteria that would free up a lot of space in the high school,” Wilkins added. “The library would be moved to where the cafeteria is now. That’s what we’re trying to do with these projects, is have it be able to open up to other needs.”

If the bond measure is approved by voters on February 14, 2012, $1.4 million of the bond money will go toward construction of a new roof for the HPS auditorium; eight new classrooms; and an athletic facility; and an air conditioning system for the high school’s gymnasium. The district has planned a community meeting on Monday to address questions about the vote.