Those in attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 24 included (l-r) former school board member Haley Blaine and student representative Johnathan Cochran; school board members Doug Dvorak, Rod Zobel (president), David Calderwood, Jenny Sniffin, and Cheryl Popelka; and Superintendent John Cain. PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

TRAER – On Tuesday, Sept. 24, members of the North Tama County Community School District school board and administration as well as design and construction representatives gathered at the main gym entrance to officially break ground on the new high school addition.

Those in attendance included both current and former school board members as well as Superintendent John Cain. Former North Tama Superintendent David Hill – who now helms the Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District – was invited to the ceremony but was unable to attend due to work commitments.

Before the groundbreaking which took place on the corner of Hwy 63 (Main Street) and Sixth Street, Cain kicked off the ceremony by providing brief remarks. Other speakers included architect Andrew Bell with PRA Group, Doug Larson with Larson Construction, school board president Rod Zobel, and Principal Taylor Howard.

Both ahead of and following formal remarks, the North Tama High School Band performed a rousing rendition of the district’s fight song.

The groundbreaking on the new addition has been years in the making after the school board first voted in December 2020 to engage in a facility study with Align Architecture & Planning (now PRA Group). Over the next two years, board members worked with not only Align but also Modus Engineering and Plunkett Raysich Architects to formulate a facility master plan ‘roadmap.’

North Tama Board of Education President Rod Zobel, third from left, provided remarks outside the main gym entrance as part of the Sept. 24 groundbreaking ceremony in Traer. Also pictured (l-r), architect Andrew Bell, Superintendent John Cain, (Zobel), school board members Doug Dvorak, Jenny Sniffin and Cheryl Popelka, and board secretary Sara Forrester. PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

In the fall of 2023, the district successfully passed a $14.85 million school bond to fund Phase 1 of the four-phase facility master plan. In addition to the new high school, Phase 1 includes secure entry upgrades across the K-12 campus, reconfiguration of the locker rooms and weight room to become ADA-compliant, paving of the existing back parking lot, and selective maintenance on other parts of campus. The entire Phase I project is slated to last roughly 18 months.

Following the completion of the first phase, Phase II is set to address the 1917 building by demolishing and replacing it with a one-story addition that will house art, library, a commons, the kitchen, administration, pupil services, and more.

Ground officially broken! Members of the North Tama school board along with Superintendent John Cain, far right, dig their gold colored shovels into a pile of dirt near the corner of Main and Sixth streets in Traer on Tuesday, Sept. 24. PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON