Esko makes space for fitness, learning

Esko school board members set an open house for the new fitness center for 4-6 p.m. June 10. Expect to see lots of "Esko" and "Sisu" logos decorating the space, located on the south side of the school.

"By June 10, all our equipment and furniture will be set up, and I believe our partner, Essentia, has what they need," said superintendent Aaron Fischer. "It's a big deal for Essentia too."

At the same meeting Monday, board members voted unanimously to spend almost a half-million dollars to turn the old fitness center space into a flexible learning space.

Fischer previously described a flexible learning center as similar to a commons area, a modern open space where students could study for College in the Schools classes at Esko, or even post secondary education option (PSEO) classes they're taking away from school. It would be a comfortable space, with talking allowed and coffee and other drinks available. It may include several glassed-in conference rooms for small-group work.

The school district received six bids on the learning center space, and selected low bidder Stack Brothers Mechanical, with a total bid amount of $496,648, including contingency funds. The high bid was over $684,000.

The board did not accept any bids for additional items, including display cases, wood accents and a rolling security grill. The project is expected to be complete around the start of the school year in the fall.

"This is another thing toward our checklist for the 10-year plan," said board chair Jerry Frederick.

Fischer said the school expects to resurface the tennis courts this summer as well.

In other matters Monday, board members approved:

-A new ECFE/Cool Kids environmental learning area.

-A new security camera for the third floor.

-Changing the order for a new school bus from unleaded to propane fuel. Propane buses are available, but there's a waitlist for gasoline-powered buses. With a rebate, the district will spend an additional $12,000 on the propane bus, but should make up those costs over the life of the bus because it is more efficient, said Esko transportation director Laurie Groth, who is retiring soon.

In other news, the Esko SubZero Robotics team placed eighth at the state meet earlier this month. The team had a 7-1 record at State. Esko finished the season with a ranking of 21st out of 188 teams in Minnesota, making the team eligible for the state meet for the fourth time in the 10-year history of the Esko program.