Kindergarteners and first graders attending classes at Clemens Primary School during the 2024-25 academic year will be able to get outside even if it’s raining thanks to the advancement of a long-awaited covered play area project.
The Philomath School Board approved a bid during its Jan. 11 meeting to move forward with the project at a cost of $475,360.78. The school district anticipates the construction project to begin in June following this school year and be finished by August before classes get going again in the fall.
Luna Design and Construction, a company based in Corvallis, submitted the low bid. The Luna project estimate was $123,319.17 lower than the second-lowest bid. In all, six companies participated in the sealed bid process with the highest coming in at $890,000.
A combination of funding sources will be used to cover the cost, officials said. Those include the school district’s general fund, federal grant funds and a $50,000 donation from the Clemens Foundation.
Clemens Primary’s enrollment was listed at 178 in mid-September.
Efforts to build a covered play structure at Clemens Primary has been ongoing for years. Former superintendent Melissa Goff talked about the playground addition as far back as 2016. The Clemens Foundation awarded its grant for the project in 2019 when it had an estimated price tag of $225,000.
The project had gone out for bid on at least two previous occasions but both came in well over what had been budgeted.