A muddy, 57-acre field may seem like an odd place to throw a party — unless the celebration is the official groundbreaking for South Washington County Schools’ new Oltman Middle School.
Under a striped yellow tent, with giant earth-moving equipment as a backdrop, District 833 Superintendent Keith Jacobus welcomed the 100 or so guests Oct. 5.
“We also are excited about carrying the tradition of Oltman to the new building and creating new traditions,” he said.
In thanking the community for its support, he made sure to include residents whose children no longer were in school, as well as “folks who have never had kids in the schools.” District residents last year narrowly approved a $96 million bonding package. The Oltman building will cost $72 million, and improvements are planned at the other three middle schools.
In June, South Washington County Schools purchased 57 acres of Bailey Nurseries land in northwest Cottage Grove for the new Oltman Middle School.
“Education has been a foundational element of the Bailey family since the beginning,” said Ryan McEnaney, a fifth-generation member of the Bailey family.
Cottage Grove Mayor Myron Bailey told the audience that a community is only as good as its schools.
“That fact is that people move to a particular community because of the schools,” he said. “When you build something like this, I guarantee that the property around here is going to burst with new housing.”
Bailey also noted the significance of the new school’s location, at 65th Street and Geneva Avenue. It will serve all four communities of Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul Park and Woodbury.
“It basically touches the four corners of the cities,” he said.
As part of the development agreement with the city, a portion of the site will be set aside for a community park. The district will grade the land to prepare it for construction. The city will build in amenities such as a softball and soccer fields, Bailey said.
Groundbreaking attendees included state Rep. Dan Schoen, DFL-St. Paul Park, Washington County Commissioner Karla Bigham and St. Paul Park Mayor Keith Franke.
But the true guests of honor were about 20 children, who got first crack at hefting the gold shovels. The little diggers included twins Sarah and Patrick Beaumont, 11, of Newport.
“A lot of these children are going to be the first kids that come into the new school,” School Board Chairman Ron Kath told the audience.
The new Oltman Middle School is scheduled open in fall 2018. The existing Oltman building in St. Paul Park will become home to the district’s Nuevas Fronteras Spanish immersion school.