March 2009 – Missouri School District Adds Two More Domes to Campus

Carol Lanham • Published • Press Release Library

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Carol Lanham
BWG Agency
972-818-0895

Missouri School District to Add Two More Monolithic Dome Buildings to Campus

CALEDONIA, Missouri (March 18, 2009) – A small Missouri school district that recently completed the last of three Monolithic Domes, will begin construction this spring on two more dome buildings to accommodate students in kindergarten through second grade. Valley R-6 School District in Washington County plans to build the two new dome structures on the same site as the three existing domes.

“The new domes will enable us to have all our students, from kindergarten through grade 12, on the same campus,” said Superintendent Steve Yount. “We have found these buildings to be ultra-green and ultra energy efficient, and are looking forward to moving our youngest students from an aging school facility to these very safe, new structures.”

The district plans to build two 85-foot diameter domes. One will house five classrooms, while the other will feature three classrooms and a large library and media center.

Yount said that the community has been pleased with the district’s three existing Monolithic Dome school buildings. Two academic domes that house 11 classrooms were completed in 2002, and the district finished a Monolithic Dome multipurpose facility, which can seat 800, in 2008.

Residents of the surrounding area have been impressed by the multipurpose dome, which plays host to everything from sporting events to graduation ceremonies. “It has turned out to be the real showplace for the area,” he said. “Every public event we have held in there has gone very well.”

Construction on the two new domes will take place in phases, and will be governed by available funds. “We already have enough money in our Capital Projects Fund to finance the construction of the dome shell, and will complete the rest in phases as part of a lease-purchase plan,” Yount said. “We are not going to ask people to raise their taxes; they’re already high enough.”

The first phase of construction, which will include preparation and construction of the two dome buildings, is expected to cost approximately $500,000. The interior will be completed using district employees and local contractors, over the next two or three years.

Monolithic’s David South said the “green” features of the building are a big selling point for many school districts. “The energy savings alone will usually pay for the total cost of the structure within the first 20 years,” he said. “They also are very durable structures. Properly maintained, they will last for centuries.”

Missouri is home to several other Monolithic Dome schools. Rock Port was the first to build a classroom dome back in 1997. Pattonsburg followed suit the next year, building four domes to accommodate students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Park University in Parkville, Missouri built twin domes in 2000 to house its Sports Event Center. Now, Niangua R-V School District in Webster County is nearing completion on a pre-school classroom dome that is being funded by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Monolithic Dome schools have also been built in Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Florida, Idaho, and Minnesota. Several new Monolithic Dome schools are currently under construction in Oklahoma and Kansas.

###