If you drive through the town of Joplin, Missouri, you’ll see great progress being made in the city-wide effort to protect citizens from tornadoes like the one that devastated the town in 2011. Throughout the Joplin School District, walls are starting to go up on a number of FEMA safe rooms. Joplin Schools has partnered with Nabholz Construction to build 11 safe rooms, 1 at each of the district’s 10 existing elementary schools and 1 at Junge Stadium. The safe rooms at the elementary schools will also serve as auxilliary gymnasiums, while the one at Junge Stadium will be used as a locker room and concession area. The projects are partially funded by FEMA.

Construction is already underway at Junge Stadium and Stapleton, Cecil Floyd, McKinley and Eastmorland Elementary Schools. Last week the School Board gave the green light for construction to begin on four more of the safe rooms, and we expect work to begin on those within the next few weeks. Designs for the remaining two projects are being finalized.

We’re proud to serve the people of Joplin, and we thank the School District and the community for putting their trust in Nabholz.