MAPS Board approves Bothwell site improvement bid

MARQUETTE — The Marquette Area Public Schools held a special meeting Thursday to follow through on sinking fund projects.

One of the projects discussed was repairing the parking lot at Bothwell Middle School. The board voted to accept a $719,000 bid from Smith Construction in Marquette, which is almost $70,000 less than the estimated project cost.

In addition to re-paving the parking lot, the project will address traffic issues created by the decreased use of school buses. Since more parents are choosing to drive their children to school, one solution is to build a second parent drop-off loop.

“The idea behind that is to expedite being able to drop off and pick up, and make that a little bit more convenient for parents, and also, to control traffic flow to make is safer for those students who are walking.”

Construction is set to begin on June 11th, and it is expected to be completed before the start of a new school year in August. The project is being paid for by the MAPS sinking fund.

Next summer, the district plans to improve the parking lot at the high school.