Mars Area School officials break ground on elementary school project
Mars Area School District officials officially broke ground on a long-awaited expansion of the elementary school.
School board members, district administrators and project consultants gathered for the ceremonial kickoff of the $21.4 million project on Thursday, Dec. 11. Construction is set to begin on Monday.
The expansion will add a three-story classroom wing, a new cafeteria and kitchen and an enlarged STEAM classroom and guidance suite.
Several traffic and site upgrades are also planned, including a dedicated parent drop-off lane, a widened “Little Dipper” access road, a reconfigured Doc’s Way access road and new parking areas.
District officials said families should expect changes to traffic flow at both the elementary school and the neighboring primary center.
The Little Dipper access road will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily and will reopen at 3 p.m. daily for elementary school student pickup.
Parents at the primary center are also being asked not to line up early on Doc’s Way access road before 11:20 a.m. for morning Kindergarten pickup and prior to 12:15 p.m. for afternoon Kindergarten drop-off.
The project had been slated to begin at the end of last school year but was postponed in May after bids came in significantly over budget.
The district then rebid the work and approved new construction contracts in October.
