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  • Conceptual art for the new Empire pre-kindergarten center and safe room. Submitted Photo

    Conceptuatl art for the new Empire pre-kindergarten center and safe room.

  • Proposed design for the Empire School storm shelter. Submitted Photo

    Proposed design for the Empire School storm shelter.
August 17, 2012

Empire Schools prepare storm shelter

Safe room will be for community use

Derrick Miller The Duncan Banner

EMPIRE — Empire School is en route to providing security from severe weather to the Empire community.

The school district will soon be breaking ground on campus to construct a storm shelter, which will be able to house all students and even take in some community members.

The maximum capacity will be 619 people.

“It will take the entire school population and then some,” Josh Skiles, Empire Elementary principal, said.

The project is estimated to cost about $1.5 million; more than $800,000 earmarked for the safe room.

The rest of the money is going to a new pre-kindergarten center, which will be attached to the storm shelter.

Of the safe room portion of the project, 75 percent will be covered by a FEMA grant. The school has to cover the remaining 25 percent.

The school district passed a bond issue to the help with the construction.

The bond should cover the 25 percent remaining on the safe room and the entire construction cost of the pre-kindergarten center, Superintendent Vicki Davidson said.

Skiles said the new pre-kindergarten center will be equipped with new furnishings and technology.

Davison said the new construction will also include landscaping around the new building.

The new building is set to be built between the superintendent’s office and the elementary school.

The school district opened bids for construction on Thursday. The bids will be awarded during Monday’s school board meeting.

Davison said the goal is to break ground Sept. 1.

When the safe room is completed, it will contain men’s and women’s restrooms, a storage room and a kitchen. A corridor will separate the pre-kindergarten classrooms from the safe room, but this will allow the students to go from their classrooms to the safe room without ever going outside.

Until the storm shelter is completed, the students are using a storm cellar, which isn’t large enough to house all students. The older students have to take refuge in the high school during drills and if any severe weather heads in the direction of the school campus.

Davidson said the students and the teachers aren’t fans of using the storm cellar. In fact, she said the cellar also makes her feel uneasy.

She said everyone on campus is excited to see the new building constructed.

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