Mehlville School District students had safer school entrances and more comfortable classrooms at the start of the 2024-2025 school year due to summer construction. Several schools received new security entrances, while others received HVAC upgrades and roof replacements.
Security entrances
Work was completed to create new, more secure entrances at Beasley Elementary School, Forder Elementary School, MOSAIC Elementary School, Wohlwend Elementary School, Buerkle Middle School and Oakville Middle School. Crews also completed work that began last school year at Point Elementary School.
Image: Visitors to Point Elementary School must now enter this secure lobby and speak to a staff member before they're granted access to the rest of the school.
Previously, school visitors had access to main hallways after entering through the exterior doors. In the new configuration, visitors enter a secure lobby, where they must present identification to a staff member and provide a reason for their visit before being granted access to the rest of the building.
Work also began this summer to create new security entrances at Trautwein Elementary School and Washington Middle School. Work is ongoing and will continue into the start of the school year. These projects are more extensive because the main entrances are being relocated to improve accessibility. The current entrances at these schools required visitors to use stairs.
Image: Construction crews continue to work on a new security entrance and office at Trautwein Elementary School.
Every school in the Mehlville School District is receiving a more secure entrance thanks to the community’s support of Prop S in April 2021. Entrances are complete at John Cary Early Childhood Center, Bierbaum Elementary School, Blades Elementary School, Hagemann Elementary School, Oakville Elementary School, Rogers Elementary School, Bernard Middle School, Mehlville High School and Oakville High School. Visit the Prop S section of our website to view the latest Prop S progress report.
Image: Work continues on adding four classrooms and a library to Bierbaum Elementary School.
Another Prop S project still under construction is the addition of four classrooms and a new library at Bierbaum Elementary School. Bierbaum is the fastest growing school in the Mehlville School District. The addition of more classrooms will help the district avoid the costly process of redistricting.
HVAC improvements
The week of August 21, 2023, was one of the hottest and most humid weeks on record for St. Louis. Schools with the oldest equipment, like Oakville Elementary School, Wohlwend Elementary School and Bernard Middle School all experienced HVAC outages during the heatwave. These schools plus Point Elementary School and the district pool all received HVAC upgrades this summer.
Image: Crews replaced ten rooftop HVAC units at Bernard Middle School over the summer.
HVAC work this summer included:
- Oakville Elementary School: One new rooftop unit, two new boilers and new controls and wiring. The equipment replaced was original to the building, which opened in 2004.
- Point Elementary School: Six new rooftop units, two new air-handling units, two new boilers and one domestic water boiler. The equipment replaced ranged in age from 20 to 30 years old.
- Wohlwend Elementary School: Two new rooftop unit (equipment replaced was more than 25 years old), a new chiller and new pumps
- Bernard Middle School: Ten new rooftop units, five new water heaters, two new boilers and temperature controls in each classroom. The equipment replaced was original to the building, which opened in 2003.
- District pool: New dehumidifier, two new boilers (one to heat the pool and one to heat the facility), a domestic water boiler (for showers and sinks in the locker rooms). The district’s pool is used by Mehlville High and Oakville High swim, dive and water polo teams, physical education classes from both schools, and about 500 Community Education participants each year. This work is ongoing and will continue into the start of the school year.
Many of the district’s HVAC systems are 20 to 30 years old. The typical life cycle for HVAC systems is 15 to 20 years. The Mehlville Board of Education also approved a plan to complete HVAC replacements at 10 other schools during the summer of 2025 and summer of 2026.
“By the end of 2026, all of our HVAC equipment will be at or under 10 years old,” said Dr. Jeff Haug, Superintendent of Schools. “By making smart investments in our critical infrastructure with our current tax revenue, we are able to delay asking voters to borrow funds through a general obligation bond. This saves the district over $12 million in interest expense and ensures comfortable learning environments for the community’s 10,000 students.”
Roof replacements
Roof replacements took place at three schools this summer:
- John Cary Early Childhood Center (200 squares)
- Blades Elementary School (109 squares)
- Oakville Elementary School (244 squares)
Image: Crews work to replace a section of the roof at Blades Elementary School.