From the Ground Up: Ozark School District indoor activities center

Owner: Ozark School District
General contractor: Branco Enterprises Inc.
Architect: Esterly Schneider & Associates Inc.
Engineers: JS Smith Consulting Engineers PC, structural; CJW Transportation Consultants LLC, civil; and RTM Engineering Consultants LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 29,000 square feet
Cost: $5.6 million
Funding source: April 2022 bond issue
Estimated completion: August
Project description: On track to be open for the 2024-25 school year, an Ozark High School activities center is under construction near Tiger Stadium. The athletic and practice facility is slated to be available for physical education classes, band practice and athletic activities. It will also be available for use by community groups, according to project details posted by the school district. Garrett Dowling, business development manager at Branco Enterprises, said the facility will have a turf surface and various practice features for football, baseball and other sports. The district’s website notes that with 1,700 high school students, the school’s two gymnasiums are not adequate to meet its physical education needs, but the activities center and a combination storm shelter/gymnasium that is also under construction will help to meet the demand of continued growth in the Ozark community.