Wellman

The Mid-Prairie School District continues to grow, with several new facilities completed in recent years to better serve students and the community.

Most recently, the district finished a new multi-purpose room, a weight room, and updated concessions and restroom areas at the football field.

On Tuesday, March 24, Mid-Prairie hosted the Rotary Club of Kalona, giving members an inside look at the latest improvements. 

Upon arrival, attendees entered the new multi-purpose room, which will be used for a variety of activities, including wrestling practice, as well as dance, robotics and other school programs.

Superintendent Brian Stone said the additional space will have a significant impact on students. “It just gives us more space for so many more kids to use,” he said.

Stone, along with Business Manager Jeff Swartzentruber and school board members President Randy Billups and Vice President Jake Snider, spoke to attendees about the projects and how they came together.

One of the most noticeable improvements is the addition of permanent restrooms at the football field, replacing the need for porta potties.

“We had people who would use the restroom at home before coming to a football game because they didn’t want to use the porta potties,” Swartzentruber said. “That’s something we’ve now been able to address.”

Stone also provided an update on the timeline for the new facilities.

“We’re nearing completion of the facility, with final walkthroughs happening now, and we’re hoping to open it to students as soon as next month,” he said. He added that interest in weightlifting classes has more than doubled, with more students wanting to take advantage of the new space.

Billups reflected on both the progress and the challenges the district faced in the past. 

“When I was first elected to the school board, I served on the facilities committee, but I’m no longer on it. They’ve done a tremendous amount of work for our district,” he said. “This is an awesome room; I coached wrestling here for 29 years and have been wanting something like this for nearly that entire time.”

He also recalled what practice conditions were like before the new facility. “We used to practice wrestling on the stage in the gym, and if you weren’t careful, you could step back and drop four feet right onto the floor during basketball practice,” Billups said. “We made it work, but we were using every bit of space we had.”

Snider explained how the district reached this point, pointing back to a failed bond vote in 2022.

 “It really goes back to the 2022 bond that narrowly failed, which ended up being a blessing because it gave us a chance to rethink our approach,” he said. “Instead of one large bond, we focused on smaller, more manageable projects that improved efficiency and allowed us to adapt as the district’s needs changed.”

Since then, Snider said the district has made steady progress by completing projects in phases while remaining mindful of costs.

The district is now preparing to bring a $19 million bond to voters this November.

District leaders emphasized that the plan would not increase the property tax levy rate. 

The proposal would fund a new event entrance, additional classroom space and a new 500-seat auditorium for band, choir, theater and community events. 

Following the presentations, Rotary members were given a tour of the updated facilities, beginning with the new weight room, which connects directly to the multi-purpose space.

Stone said the weight room is already generating excitement among students. Many helped move equipment into the space but have not yet seen the finished room, making the Rotary group among the first community members to get a full look at the facility.

The tour also included the new concession and restroom areas at the football field, which were funded through the district’s $8.7 million 2024 bond. The upgrades are expected to improve the overall experience for fans and families attending games.

In addition to athletics, district officials noted the new multi-purpose space will provide flexibility for a wide range of school activities and programs throughout the year.

Looking ahead, Snider said the district hopes to continue building on its progress while remaining fiscally responsible.

“We’ve just got to keep dreaming big, and if we can do it without raising taxes, it makes sense to keep moving forward,” he said.