School Board Approves Major Infrastructure Projects

Broadus residents should expect to see a number of contractor outfits around town in the coming months, as construction work will be underway at the school over the summer. On April 24th, the PR County School Board Trustees held a meeting to discuss and approve these major infrastructure projects that are in the works at the school.

Earlier in the school year the Elementary sewer system was found to be in severe disrepair and in need of replacement. Superintendent Jim Hansen tells us the “west wing” of the elementary school is slated to be the first portion of the project, and the work will entail tearing up a large portion of the floorway in the kitchen and main hallway to replace the plumbing. While the project is underway there will be improvements made to the bathrooms attached to the gym. This project is expected to happen over the summer, with work on the “east wing” of the school expected be done under a separate bid in 2025.

While pre-bid testing was underway, asbestos material was found in some wall, ceiling, and tile materials set to be removed. Remediation work to eliminate the asbestos will also be completed; that work will fall under a separate bid.

The board received two bids on the sewer replacement and bathroom remodel, accepting the bid from Wyman Construction, a company based out of Billings, for $492,817.00. The asbestos remediation bid from Ingraham Environmental Inc., a Butte based company, was accepted for $32,170.00.

The second major project under consideration was the boiler replacement at the high school. Over the winter, a cold weather event caused major heating issues at the high school, necessitating the cessation of classes and move to online classes for part of the week while the problem was fixed.

The new setup will involve implementation of a propane fired backup boiler. Two bids were received for the project, with the board accepting the bid of $423,900.00 from Powder River Heating & Air Conditioning from Gillette. That project is expected to be completed before the school is in need of heat this fall.