Building Project News

The walls are climbing higher at the Butler site, where construction crews are making good progress on the project. While the walls are easily seen from Dixie Drive, the really exciting part is unfolding inside. Shell spaces are beginning to emerge with doors, windows, and tie-ins for plumbing. Floors have already been poured for several classrooms, including those near the 1964 wing, the media center, and the music rooms. The crews are getting ready to pour the concrete for the deck of the rapidly emerging second story.

Tie-ins for plumbing are in place in the future kitchen, and floor-based electrical outlets have been installed in the business classrooms. The front office is marked out, but walls are not yet going up in this part of the building.

See more progress photos by clicking here. And don't forget our construction camera! You can check our progress every 15 minutes by clicking here.

When community members joined district staff and officials for Morton's official groundbreaking, the site was little more than a dusty building pad.

Now, just two weeks later, foundations clearly define the building's academic wing and walls are rapidly going up in the specials area. The construction crews have been using the dry--if extremely hot--days to their advantage, making excellent progress on the future middle school.

The academics wing requires a little bit of imagination, but the front entrance, main hallways, and classrooms are all demarcated by foundation lines. Walls are already going up for the gymnasium and the cafetorium, and the stage and music area have already been built up. The masons are working on these areas first so that they can be used for staging areas once they are "dried in."

Click here to see a few photos of the work in progress. As soon as power is available at the site, the district will mount a construction cam like the one at Butler High School.

Just before the Aviators kicked off the football season in their renovated stadium, district officials and staff, Board of Education members, and representatives from Good Samaritan Hospital celebrated the stadium's opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The stadium, which began its transformation into a world-class venue in April, sports artificial turf, an expanded track, new bleachers and reserved seats, and a new press box.

In her comments, Superintendent Christy L. Donnelly thanked students, athletes, band and Kickline members, coaches and directors for enduring schedule changes throughout the stadium's redesign and construction. She also thanked the project's many contributors, including Jeremy LeVans, who served as general contractor, for going above and beyond and SturdiSteel for working around-the-clock to ensure the field opened on time.

Dr. Donnelly closed her remarks with a thank you to outgoing Athletic Director Roger Bowen for his unflagging support of Butler Athletics and a welcome to new Athletic Director Ryan Rogers.

Rogers also spoke before cutting through the ribbon with a giant pair of scissors. In his comments, he noted that the new stadium is a venue that better matches the talents of Butler's athletes and performers.

The field is a sight to see and the team is on fire this year. Advance tickets are only $6 for adults and can be purchased at Hock's Pharmacy and Ken's Pharmacy. At $30 for the season, reserved seats are also a steal and can be reserved by calling the Athletic Department at 415-6384.

On August 23, the new press box arrived on site after a four-day journey from Texas. Installing the 14 x 14 x 68 structure required a delicate balancing act, but one that the crews from Sturdisteel pulled off without a hitch.

The project is on track for our first home game on August 27!

To see more photos of the installation, click here.

Despite high temperatures, city and township leaders, community members, and students joined district staff and officials for the official groundbreaking of Morton Middle School on August 20.

Remarks were made by Superintendent Christy L. Donnelly, Morton Principal Russ Garman, Project Manager Chris Gremling, and Board of Education President Bill Hibner. They spoke against a backdrop of construction crews, who were already preparing the site for footers.

The $16.6 million, 102,000 square foot middle school will be located on approximately 20 acres in Stonequarry Crossings. The site, which will also include a replacement bus garage and maintenance facility, was obtained through a land swap with the city of Vandalia.

The new building will include up-to-date technology, flexible learning spaces, and an energy-efficient heating and cooling system.

The project was designed by SHP Leading Design, with input by the community and Morton staff. Dugan and Meyers is the general contractor.

Click here to see more photos from the groundbreaking event.