Construction on the new gymnasium at Melcher-Dallas high school is on schedule to be completed this spring.

The project, which was originally scheduled to be completed in June 2024, is set to be done in time for graduation in May. Melcher-Dallas Superintendent Scott Bridges says that a majority of the project has been finished. According to Bridges, two parts of the project remain, with the first being the arrival and installation of the energy recovery units (ERV) to heat and cool the gym. Bridges adds that the biggest remaining phase of the project is laying down the gym floor, but says that can’t be done until the ERV units are installed. 

“As long as they get the heating and cooling up, then we can do that, but if that space isn’t conditioned, they can’t bring the wood for the gym floor into that space. So, if that’s done in time, sometime in January, they’ll bring the lumber for the gym floor in, they’ll let it sit in there, it’ll sit and acclimate for two weeks, they’ll take about a month to install, and then it’ll take a couple of weeks to finish it. So, it’s really almost a two month process, just for the floor.”

Hear more about the construction of the new Melcher-Dallas High School Gym and more from Scott Bridges on an upcoming In Touch with South Central Iowa.