Joplin School District breaks ground on new Dover Hill Elementary

Apr. 15—The vision for the new Dover Hill Elementary School became clearer Wednesday with a groundbreaking ceremony for the future home of 400 students from the Columbia and West Central attendance districts.

Second through fifth graders from Columbia and West Central schools wore hard hats at Dover Hill and special T-shirts with a picture of the two schools connected by a heart and students holding hands.

Superintendent Melinda Moss described it as a "glorious day" for Joplin.

"Not only is this a glorious day because of the weather, but it's also a glorious day for all of the faces that are among us and the stakeholder groups that you represent," she said during the ceremony. "Each face in this crowd represents countless hours of dedication, visioning and courageous commitment to bringing this about for the betterment of our student safety and our student learning."

Construction of the 67,000-square-foot school is set to begin Monday, with completion slated for fall 2022, according to Chad Greer, principal architect with Corner Greer and Associates. The architecture firm was brought on board the project alongside Crossland Construction Co., the company serving as the construction manager.

"For us as architects and designers, the biggest reward is seeing these buildings get used, see people occupying them on a daily basis, and we have some really cool things for all of you," Greer told the children at the groundbreaking.

In phases

The new school will be built atop Dover Hill, a 17.83-acre tract of land at North Main Street and West Murphy Boulevard that originally was donated to the city of Joplin for a park. Greer said the project is being completed in phases because there's a lot of slope to the site that must be made into a safe environment.

"Package one, which is the dirt work and underground infrastructure, has been released and construction is starting on this coming Monday," he said. "We are currently scheduled to have the final building construction plans completed at the end of April. and then it will go out to bid. I would say by early June, we should have the bids returned by then. The preliminary focus of the early construction is moving a lot of dirt around."

The new elementary school will replace the nearly century-old Columbia and West Central schools; Columbia in particular has had structural issues stemming from mining features underground and poor soil conditions. Greer said elements such as murals and custom graphics will be added to the building that speaks to the area's history while also recognizing the future.

"I'm looking forward to seeing these two schools combined to become a part of the community," Greer said. "This is going to be a very important project for our city in the fact that it becomes the north gateway of the city. It will be one of the first things people see who are visiting Joplin and the downtown area."

He added: "We've got some historic touches to the building that keep the resemblance of Columbia and West Central, but it also takes on a modern appearance. It's a really interesting design we're excited for the community to see."

Kerry Sachetta, assistant superintendent for operations, said the Dover Hill property was chosen because of the limited construction availability near the West Central and Columbia areas. The district kept an eye on the property due to its limited use as a park and the fact that it was in the Columbia attendance zone. It was donated to the district by the city.

"We were very fortunate that it was available and that the city manager and the City Council worked with us," Sachetta said. "There's a ton of work, and it's all worthwhile. But at the same time, the work to build the school begins. There's a lot of excitement in the process, and that's how we want to continue."

Looking forward

Under the direction of music teacher Christal VanGilder, elementary students in attendance sang "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" by Joplin native Percy Wenrich to pay homage to Dover Hill, which was donated to the city of Joplin by the William Landreth family in the 1920s. The "Dover" name of the property comes from the song's lyrics: "Put on your old grey bonnet with the blue ribbon on it, while I hitch old Dobbin to the shay, and through the fields of clover, we'll drive up to Dover on our golden wedding day."

Sharrock Dermott, president of the Joplin Board of Education, thanked the Landreth family for helping with the transfer of the Dover Hill property to the city. He also recognized Joplin voters, who overwhelmingly approved a $25 million bond issue for the project in 2020. It received 79% of the vote.

"It's gorgeous, and now we're going to use it even more than before," he said. "We appreciate everybody who went to the polls and approved our bond to allow us to build an absolutely beautiful, great school."

Shally Lundien has been Columbia's principal for five years, and she's seen the growth of students but has also witnessed all of the building's structural issues. She said students, teachers and staff have been relying heavily on resilience due to the obstacles they've encountered over the years, including no gymnasium or extra classroom space.

"We've had indoor recess in classrooms, and our P.E. is in a hallway," she said. "It's not conducive to the learning and to the fun that these kids can enjoy, so this project was huge for us. Our teachers and staff come every day and learn, regardless of the obstacles we've encountered."

Bret Ingle, principal of West Central and future principal of Dover Hill, had taught at Columbia when he first started with the district 18 years ago and has seen the evolution of both buildings. Ingle said he's looking forward to seeing teachers and students have equal opportunities and resources as everyone else in the district.

"We'll have bigger class sizes, more collaboration space and things that other schools have naturally that we've just gotten by with over the last few years," Ingle said. "We and Columbia have limited space for libraries, art and music. We've filled up every nook and cranny at both buildings."