At Platte County R-3 in Platte City, construction workers are working diligently toward their Dec. 19 goal of having the connection between the former middle school and high school complete. Superintendent Dr. Mark Harpst said the project is on track to be ready to go by Dec. 19, which will allow district officials and staff the holiday break to make the transition ready for when the students return in January. The 11,090 square foot connection will adjoin the two schools to create a main entrance to the entire facility. After the construction is complete, the total square footage of the new R-3 high school will be 186,620 square feet. The main corridor will feature a full glass area that will display the school’s carved Pirate that once stood at the old main entrance of the high school. A new media center will also be located in the new area.
For many years, citizens of southern Platte County have lived worked, shopped and sent their children to school in an area that isn’t served by a dedicated ambulance district. Now, those citizens are working together to create a Southern Platte County Ambulance District. “I’ve lived in southern Platte County for 13 years and that whole time I never knew we didn’t have a dedicated ambulance service,” said Deb Hammond, Southern Platte County Ambulance District Initiative co-chair. The district is proposed to include Farley, Ferrelview, Houston Lake, Lake Waukomis, Northmoor, Parkville, Platte Woods, Weatherby Lake and an unincorporated areas of southern Platte County outside of Kansas City.