Marshall County Central (MCC) Schools needed to address space needs and safety concerns. District enrollment had been trending up for more than a decade and there simply wasn’t enough room to adequately serve the students. For many years the high school and elementary school in Newfolden shared spaces including a gym, cafeteria, and music room. Within the past few years more than 300 students crossed Highway 28, which divided the schools, multiple times per day. With student numbers on the rise, and increased truck traffic, this caused safety concerns.
Widseth worked with the school district to design an addition that would eliminate the need for students to cross the busy street and bring much-needed space to the high school. A large commons space is the backbone of the new addition and the district plans to use the space in many ways. A new gym, secure entrance, locker rooms, weight room, kitchen, classroom spaces, playground, bathrooms, concessions area, storage, new sidewalks, and a new parking lot were also part of the project.
In addition to the schools in Newfolden, MCC also has an elementary school in the city of Viking. Additional space and a secured entrance were the primary needs at Viking. Widseth listened to district needs and designed new spaces to address these issues. The project included new and remodeled spaces for special education, preschool, admin offices, nurse’s office, hallway to the cafeteria, kitchen storage, staff bathroom, staff lunch room, music room, library, and a secured entrance.
MCC Superintendent Jeff Lund said, “This project showed us if we can all work together on a common goal, get community support behind it, and get support from great partners like Widseth and Kraus Anderson, we can put our vision to life.”
Jeff did a tremendous job keeping the community and staff informed by providing clear communication on a dedicated project website throughout the life of the project.
Each school building in the district now has the spaces and learning environments needed for students. MCC is set up for success!
