Lesson Learned: Stick-to-itiveness Pays Off

by Freda Parker

January 30, 2007

Recent Ice Storms & Future Plans

During the interview, Steve Yount told me what Caledonia experienced during this winter's ice and wind storms that covered their area with two to three inches of ice and left people without power for up to two weeks.

He said the domes were unaffected, and, although they were without power, the domes retained their heat, so people spent their days warming up in the Monolithic Domes.

The community wants their domes certified by the Red Cross as a designated disaster shelter and is looking into grants that would finance a generator. FP

Why Buy a Monolithic Dome School, and How Much do They Cost?

That's what the current school administrators and 165 residents of Caledonia, Missouri, a village in the St. Louis metro area, are in the process of proving -- again.

Stick-to-itiveness Round One

After rejecting four bond issues in five years, in 2000 Caledonia's voters overwhelmingly approved one. That approval happened because School Superintendent Larry Graves and Elementary Principal Steve Yount launched an intensive, persistent campaign aimed at educating their community about Monolithic Domes (Caledonia, Missouri).

So Caledonians said yes to the construction of three Monolithic Domes, two to house classrooms for grades 3 through 6 and one as a gymnasium at their Valley R-6 School District that serves 475 students in Kindergarten through Grade 12.

Planning began immediately, closely followed by the start of construction. On Presidents
Day 2002, the community proudly opened the doors of its two academic domes and students and teachers moved into their 11 new classrooms.

At that point, although planning continued, the building of the gym had not yet started. But school officials, as well as the public, knew that constructing the gym would be a slow process, governed by available funds.

Stick-to-itiveness Round Two

He was soon replaced by Steve Yount who said, "When I was asked to take over, the immediate priority was to get the school district stable financially. We have done that over the last three years.

"We were able to get a bill through the Missouri Legislature and signed by the Governor," Yount continued, "to allow four schools,

including ours, to make a one-time transfer to the Capital Projects Fund, which is where the money to build must be spent from. I anticipate that we will be able to transfer enough to finish the gym!"

Stick-to-itiveness Round Three

Yount used the time during which gym construction had virtually halted to work with the architects. His goal: redesigning various components.

Based on his conversations with David B. South and others at Monolithic, his own research into Monolithic structures, and his experience as a coach, teacher and school administrator, he wanted some changes.

"I always tell people interested in domes," Yount said, "to get an architect knowledgeable about domes or, at least, one willing to listen. Ours was willing to listen, and we worked through some problems. By the time we got to the gymnasium, he had a pretty good idea of what we were doing."

Yount insisted on redrawing the gym floor plan and replacing space taken up by custom seating with two regulation cross courts. He also cut the overkill on the HVAC and redesigned the lighting.

Architectural plans for the gymnasium lighting called for the dome's white ceiling to reflect lights shining up at it. "That would have been beautiful," Yount said, "but we wouldn't be able to hear each other talk in there. I knew that acoustic studies at the two dome gyms in Texas, Italy and Avalon, showed that."

So instead, the gym will have direct lighting and an acoustically better, drop ceiling.

Stick-to-itiveness Wins!

Fortunately, the School Board agreed with and supported the changes.

"This is about to become a real success story," Yount said. "We are going to have a great facility completed shortly. We're now doing the finishing -- letting out bids for the finishing package -- the floor, bleachers, baskets and all those last touches."

The school hopes to begin using its new, 1000-seat, Monolithic Dome gym in 2008. "It's going to be a fabulous multipurpose building with a portable stage," Yount said. "Besides sports, it will be used for graduations, concerts, performances, band practice, art and music classes, etc. It's going to be a busy, busy dome.

"People here are really proud of what we're accomplishing," he concluded. "Larry Graves has visited since moving, and he's very pleased with our progress. I am too."

Comments from the Architect

Gary Barbee, a partner at Sam A. Winn & Associates Architects PC, said that Caledonia's three domes were his first experience in Monolithic Dome design -- an experience he found challenging and enjoyable.

It gave him an opportunity to see advantages and disadvantages of Monolithic Domes. The advantages were obvious: savings in energy use and maintenance and strength.

As for disadvantages, Barbee named only one: a dome's shape. He said that some professionals they wanted to hire for various jobs felt they could not perform their tasks in a round structure. But those who were willing to try and to learn did well.

Barbee said that he would welcome another Monolithic Dome project. FP

Who Did What

Design.................................................Sam A. Winn & Associates Architects PC Springfield, MO
Airform................................................Monolithic Airforms, Italy, Texas
Dome Construction..............................Dome Technology, Inc. Idaho Falls, Idaho
Technical Advice...................................Monolithic Dome Institute, Italy, Texas