Construction work is steadily progressing on the $25.9 million renovation of South O’Brien Junior/Senior High School in Paullina, with completion still targeted around Thanksgiving break of the 2026–27 academic year.
School officials say the project remains largely on schedule despite the typical challenges that come with ongoing construction in an active learning environment.
“With any construction project, there’s always some give and take there,” said superintendent Wade Riley. “We’ve been lenient to allow some things as long as it’s not impacting students’ learning. There have been some disturbances that are unfortunate, but they need to happen. We try to minimize that or select a time frame where maybe those jackhammers or things happen when it’s not impacting classrooms.”
One of the most significant aspects of the project is the construction of a new wing replacing a historic 1925 building. This area is expected to be ready for occupancy by the project’s completion target.
The new addition will house essential infrastructure upgrades, including a modern boiler system and an elevator to improve accessibility across the campus.
“They’re working on the elevator shaft right now, but there’s one more opening they need to make in the building and then the shaft will be completely made,” Riley said. “We’re currently still utilizing the old boiler that was under the 1925 building. Once we’re done with heat for this year, we will decommission that and then that’s when the new boiler system will go in on the east side.”
Beyond infrastructure, the renovation is transforming the learning and athletic environment. Several new and upgraded spaces—including an auxiliary gym, agriculture and industrial technology classrooms, greenhouse and weight room—are already in use.
“We’ve seen a lot of positives from just having an ample amount of space,” Riley said. “Having a dedicated location for our P.E. courses keeps wear and tear off our competition gym. Our ag and industrial arts shops are top-tier. The teachers there have expressed the amount of space that’s available to keep the kids active in their learning.”
The project is also expanding the school’s role as a community hub. Earlier in 2026, the district opened its new weight room to the public as a fitness center, drawing strong local participation.
“Everything’s been going really well with the fitness center being open to the community,” Riley said. “We’ve had probably about 50 different memberships at this point of people using the weight room. The people that have a membership are really appreciating the spacious fitness center that we have and the different tools that are available.”
Administrative functions have also been upgraded, with staff relocating to a new office building across the street that includes classrooms, offices, a boardroom and additional storage.
Meanwhile, improvements inside the main building have enhanced operational efficiency, including expanded athletic storage, updated offices and better organization for staff and equipment.
“Having our AD overseeing everything, his office is right there, so that’s important as well,” Riley said. “We can keep an eye on who’s going in there and keep track of what we have so we’re not losing things either.”
“Those types of things are important for us to make sure that we’re providing things to our staff and our students that we are organized with what we have,” Riley said. “Before, we had things tucked away in different closets. Now, it’s just in a one-stop shop. They are assigned a certain area, and things are organized and assigned.”
A major priority of the renovation has been enhancing school safety. The addition of a secure entrance vestibule has significantly improved access control for the building.
“That’s worked out really nice, having that secure vestibule to make sure we know who’s entering our building after the school day starts,” Riley said. “It’s important for us to keep the safety of the students, and that was our school board’s priority from the get-go in this project. We wanted to make the building more secure and adding that additional layer over there has provided that.”
Looking ahead, construction will continue throughout the school year, with additional work planned during the summer when students are off campus. These upgrades include classroom ceiling improvements, flooring renovations, new HVAC systems and stadium enhancements such as new visitor-side bleachers.
“We’re looking at doing some upgrades to some of our classrooms in the west side — some ceiling work to try to match some of the new areas,” Riley said. “We’re also going to spend a lot of time on our floors. With construction over the last couple summers, we really haven’t had a good chance to make our floors look the way they should.”
“We’re still unpacking things and finding things that are not the way that we want them to be, so we’re getting those corrections made,” Riley said. “We’re looking forward to seeing the long-term effects of how this new addition and project is going to have on South O’Brien for many years to come.”
The South O’Brien renovation reflects a broader trend among rural school districts investing in modernization to improve student outcomes, safety and community engagement. Updated career and technical education spaces—such as agriculture and industrial technology labs—are particularly significant as schools align programs with workforce needs.
Additionally, integrating community-use facilities like fitness centers helps maximize public investment while strengthening ties between schools and residents.
As the project moves toward completion, it is expected to serve as a long-term asset for both students and the wider Paullina community, combining modern infrastructure with expanded educational opportunities.
Originally reported by Brett Twelmeyer in NWest Iowa.
