Board Members and staff from Ashland Public School stand alongside employees of McGough Construction to break ground on Ashland Public School's new kitchen addition, in the photo above. The project will be visible from the highway, on the south side of the school.
On June 19th, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at Ashland Public School for construction on the school's updated kitchen. Leading the event was McGough Construction, a Minneapolis based construction firm with regional headquarters in Rapid City, which will be building the addition. The ground breaking ceremony featured a free lunch that was enjoyed by summer school students, Ashland Public staff and faculty, and local press.
The addition is the first phase of the school's kitchen expansion, according to Ashland Public Superintendent Sarah Shannon. This phase will consist of the building shell for the expanded kitchen, as well as electrical and plumbing. The school's walk in cooler will also be moved from its current location into the new addition.
Phase II of the project will complete the project, expanding the school's limited kitchen space. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by August of this year.
Funding for the project came about through ESSER funds to the tune of $800,000. ESSER funds are money granted to schools through a series of funds from Congress in 2020 and 2021.
Ashland Public has undergone a series of infrastructure updates over the past few years. The most conspicuous update has been to the school's gymnasium, which features a new floor for the school's budding basketball players to hone their skills, and a new set of electric moving bleachers with easier access for the fans to watch the games.
Funding for the gym floor was derived through a Montana Coal Board Grant, along with ESSR funds, with help from Julie Stoddard, from Southeast Montana Development Corporation in handling grant applications.
Other projects include tile for the hallways and storage for classrooms. The projects represents one of the first big infrastructure projects for Ashland Public since the 1970s, according to Superintendent Shannon.
McGough Business Development Director Kevin Wagner told us that his company is looking to expand into this area of the country, bringing their services to important projects in rural areas where construction contractors for larger scale projects may be otherwise tough to find.
Sarah was excited about the project, noting that the current kitchen setup forces kitchen staff to plate food for the students, who file through a narrow area of the kitchen before taking their seat in the lunchroom.
Amongst other changes, the new setup will allow for more space to allow kitchen staff room to work, dishing food out along a buffet line for the 86 K-8 students of Ashland Public, and helping to ensure they have all the food needed to learn and grow.
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