Over $1.5 million has been awarded to the Poplar Bluff School District to construct a tornado safe room designed to withstand winds of up to 250 miles per hour at Eugene Field Elementary School.
The district agreed to pay 25 cents on the dollar for a local investment totaling approximately $500K in the matching grant program approved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Board of Education unanimously decided on Thursday, March 19.
“Being awarded this FEMA grant is a significant milestone that has been years in the making,” said R-I Superintendent Dr. Aaron Cornman, who referred to the project as a ‘major victory for the south side of our community.’ “Following the impact of last year’s tornado on our school community, school safety has remained a top priority for all our stakeholders. Much like the safe room at the Junior High, this project serves as an initial cornerstone for the implementation of our recently approved long-range facility plan, allowing us to accelerate our footprint and enhance safety where it is needed most.”
The safe room is penciled in to be located on the northeast corner of the Nickey Street campus; however, the district has the ability to submit a change order, depending on the building’s multi-purpose functionality for its day-to-day student use. The district is also in discussions with the Poplar Bluff Planning and Zoning Commission over potentially rerouting Cross Street, which would open up more adjoining acreage on the Eugene Field campus site.
Outside of school hours, the EF5 tornado-rated facility would be open to the community during severe weather events, following the same emergency protocol established for the district's other safe rooms constructed through the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program at O’Neal Elementary and Junior High.
“Any community where we’re able to build a new facility, we will consider storm-rated construction, and measures to make that a possibility rather than a pipe dream,” said Charles Kinsey, R-I assistant superintendent of business. “This is a shot of adrenaline at the beginning of our long-range plan, and quite a bit more cost-effective, with us having the ability to get started with an investment from the federal government.”
The grant proposal was originally submitted by administrators during the 2020/21 school year for Lake Road Elementary, but was deemed ineligible due to the campus location in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). A pivot to Eugene Field was made shortly thereafter five years ago.
In November 2024, following the selection of Dake Wells Architecture to lead the district's next 10-year plan in collaboration with community stakeholder committees, school officials chose Dille and Pollard Architecture over the Eugene Field expansion due to their extensive experience with safe rooms, including the 2016 structure at Junior High, which doubles as a gym. The district now has two years to build its third FEMA safe room, the first greenlit project under the long-range plan that was approved by the BOE in February.
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Cutline: Eugene Field Elementary is shown from the southeast corner, where the district also owns acreage on the other side of Cross Street.