Last summer, the district broke ground on the east-side addition, which includes a new electrical room with electrical panels. The project will also add some dressing rooms behind the auditorium stage and extend the band room.

“Nothing could happen from a renovation standpoint until we got more electrical capacity, so that prompted this small addition now,” Daggett said in a previous interview.

Currently, the roof is in place, and the siding is scheduled to be installed this week, Daggett said. In addition, he said all the interior walls are up and drywalled and the new water main is being run into the existing building.

The warmer winter allowed construction to keep moving forward during the usually cold months, he said, and recent rains haven’t hampered progress since the addition is now enclosed. He said the construction phase of the project could be completed by August.

“I’ve learned a lot,” Daggett said of the process. “It’s gone relatively smoothly.”

One change that wasn’t part of the original plans was the replacement of the circle drive on the east side of the school with a functional small parking lot.

“We had a hard time finding a place to stop the new pour of concrete with the addition, due to the condition of the circle drive, so we decided to replace it,” Daggett said.

The new addition is intended to pave the way for future projects at the school. While Daggett said the district hasn’t yet determined what the next phase will entail, some of the projects being considered are adding additional classrooms, upgrading the office and commons area, and building a new wrestling room.

“This is the first step in realizing our goal of having first-class facilities for our staff and students,” Daggett said.

The addition was designed by Allers Associates Architects and is being built by Jensen Builders Ltd., both of Fort Dodge. The $2.65 million project is being paid for with funds collected from the sales tax.