Eureka Springs School District Superintendent Bryan Pruitt has a list of construction projects he foresees for the future.

He just needs the current project to finally wrap up, first.

At their monthly meeting held Monday, Jan. 13, board members heard an update on the district’s five-year master plan from director of operations Rick Mann. The master plan includes things such as a new bus shop and maintenance building, a storm shelter and parking lot refurbishments.

“But, we’re not going to do anything until we finish our current cafeteria,” Pruitt said. “So, I’m holding off on everything until then.”

The cafeteria project that was OK’d by the board in March 2023 is for the elementary and middle school. Each school will have its own dining areas with a shared kitchen. The project is now expected to be completed in the spring and be ready for use by the start of the 2025-2026 school year, Pruitt said.

Delayed utility work and cold temperatures have delayed the project in recent weeks, he added.

“As long as they get it done before we start school in the fall we’ll be happy,” the superintendent said. “It’ll be two years in May and it’s been drug out long enough. We approved to start building it in May 2023 so it’s probably going to be two years by the time we get ready to move into it.

“Once we get that building we’ll start looking at building the bus shop and maintenance building.”

Other projects include refurbishing the parking lot in front of the elementary school and building a storm shelter using anticipated funds from FEMA.

“We still want to get a FEMA building built if the appropriation from the Feds ever comes through,” Pruitt said.

Also at the Jan. 13 meeting, the board approved transferring approximately $20,000 that was donated to the district by the Douglas Scholarship Endowment in the 1990s for scholarships to the Carroll County Community Foundation.

“There was a family here years ago that donated a 20-something thousand dollar endowment for scholarships,” Pruitt said, adding that because of the amount and interest, the money hasn’t been touched throughout the years, “It’s not sustainable,” he said. “So, the board decided to donate that to the Carroll County Community Foundation and they can pull their resources in and make it sustainable. They have an investment program to where the principal will never be touched. Then we will start giving a $1,000 scholarship to a local Eureka Springs student each year.

“Therefore, that money will be used as it was intended to be used on behalf of the Douglas family.”

The school board’s next monthly meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10.