The Maple River (Minn.) district has broken ground on a $63 million K-12 school campus in Mapleton.
The Mankato Free Press reports that the project is moving forward after the district won approval of a bond referendum on its fourth try in February 2020.
Superintendent Dan Anderson says the 185,000-square-foot school will have air conditioning, improved parking and traffic flow, modernized and right-size classrooms, an expanded agriculture lab and a food sciences kitchen for the secondary students, and a science, technology, engineering, art and math lab for the elementary students.
The Covid-19 pandemic has complicated the planning process, Anderson says, but has resulted in some fiscal benefits. The district was able to secure a low interest rate for its bonds, and some of the early construction bids also are coming in lower than projected.
Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2022. The district serves students in the rural communities of Amboy, Good Thunder, Mapleton and Minnesota Lake.
The builder is Kraus-Anderson, and the architect is ISG Architects.
