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Texhoma's
Showplace: Two Monolithic Domes
by Freda Parker
Photos by David South, Jr.
Click
here to download a PDF with full color photos of the finished school.
Texhoma is
a proud community. In the past, Texhoma's 1300 residents have taken pride
in their 100-year history, their small but unique downtown area with its
brick streets, and the fact that geographically they reach into two states:
Texas and Oklahoma.
Now Texhoma
-- particularly the Oklahoma part -- has a new, prideworthy accomplishment:
two recently completed Monolithic Domes for their 426 students in grades
five through 12 (Click Here to read
a previous article about this school).
But it's
not just the domes Texhoma is proud of. It's what they got for their money.
According
to School Superintendent Rick Kibbe, Texhoma reached a point at which
its existing school buildings had to undergo extensive improvement or
be replaced. They considered updating their buildings until they learned
that would cost an estimated $3 million or double what they could spend.
So, in April 2000 Texhoma began soliciting proposals for a new building
whose cost would not exceed their voter-approved bond of $1.5 million.
In response, they received an offer for one conventional building with
four classrooms, one cafeteria and one small office.
School Board
President Jim Berry said that for the same $1.5 million, Monolithic offered
two domes, with a total of nine classrooms, a library, cafeteria, full
kitchen, connecting corridor and 19,000 square feet of paving.
Then, by
using Monolithic's Alden Porter as their Construction Manager, Texhoma
was able to save more money.
Asked how
those savings were spent, Kibbe said, "We got our library. Originally,
the whole second floor of the larger dome was just going to be a slab
of concrete that we planned to finish as a library at some later date.
With what we saved, we got the whole library with furniture, carpeting,
and acoustical ceiling with seven pewter chandeliers."
Berry added,
"When we first started talking domes, I don't think the people were so
much against that idea as they just didn't understand it. At one time,
I felt like I really had my neck stuck out there -- ready to get it chopped
off. Then Mr. Kibbe began explaining the cost savings and other advantages
of the domes. And now we've got a showplace!
Elementary
School Principal Brenda Rogers also sees the domes as a Texhoma showplace.
Rogers, who accompanied Kibbe and three others on their inspection of
Monolithic Dome schools in Arizona, said that convincing the community
to go for the domes wasn't difficult. She said, "We had several town meetings,
did slide shows, showed people the magazine (Roundup), and told
them about Monolithic's website. Now the domes are here and we're happy
with them and we can't wait to get in. We're waiting for a final inspection
from the Fire Marshall, which should take place in about a week. Then
we will have a grand opening."
But while the
classrooms must wait for a final fire inspection, the cafeteria is already
in use. Rogers said, "Our students are very excited about the cafeteria.
The old one is small and in the basement. This new one even changed their
behavior. They cooperate in keeping it clean and treat the furniture well."
Students
asked for their opinion of the domes responded mostly with "cool," "very
cool," "very, very cool," or "awesome."
Rogers said
that students really got excited when construction began -- especially
the inflation of the Airforms. "We let school out early and brought the
Texas kids (kindergarten through grade 4) over so they could watch too.
They enjoyed it. Many took pictures."
Kibbe added,
"We really are proud of Texhoma's progressiveness. At the beginning of the
1900s, in 1910, we built our first brick building. More recently, at the
beginning of this century, we built our first domes."
Related
links:
www.texhoma.org/event/newhs.htm
http://www.texhoma61.net/nbuild/newhs1.htm
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