From the Ground Up: Marshfield Early Childhood Center

Last edited 12:57 p.m., April 11, 2022

Owner: Marshfield R-I School District
General contractor: R. E. Smith Construction Co. (Joplin)
Architect: Paragon Architecture LLC
Engineers: Toth and Associates Inc., civil; J&M Engineering LLC,, structural; and RTM Engineering Consultants LLC (Harrisonville), mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 24,200 square feet
Funding: District bond issue
Cost: $8 million
Estimated completion: August
Project description: Paragon Architecture Project Manager Kirsten Whitehead says the Marshfield School District’s Early Childhood Center is on track to finish before next school year at its site behind Hubble Elementary School. District voters approved an $8.5 million bond issue to build the center, but construction of the building is anticipated to come in at $8 million, Whitehead said. The school has eight classrooms for preschoolers and four for early childhood special education. The one-story building also is being equipped with a kitchen, library, offices for the Parents as Teachers program and spaces for speech and physical therapy services. A multipurpose room will double as a storm shelter, according to the district’s website. In addition to the building, a new road will be added with the remaining bond funds to serve school traffic and reduce congestion.