"The Next Step" ballot measure included four storm shelters located at Central Elementary, Field Early Childhood, Benton Elementary and Neosho Middle School.

Two shelters are complete, another will be completed by August 2021, and the fourth has received approval as an official FEMA Community Safe Room in 2021.

Field Early Childhood and Central Elementary Storm Shelters

UPDATE: As promised, steel shelters at Field Early Childhood and Central Elementary were installed in September 2021.

Neosho Middle School Learning Center

Neosho School District broke ground on the storm shelter located at Neosho Middle School on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. The shelter is one of the projects made possible by The Next Step Ballot Measure that was passed on June 7, 2020. This project is the third project in the scope of the measure, preceded by the installment of metal storm shelters located at Central Elementary and Field Early Childhood. The Neosho Middle School structure is a 5,500 sq.ft. multipurpose storm shelter that will double as a learning and professional development space. Construction began in January 2021 and was completed by August of 2021. The project is expected to cost $2 million, turnkey.

UPDATE: As promised, the Neosho MIddle School Learning Center was completed in August 2021.

View the floor plan

Benton Elementary | FEMA Community Safe Room

Neosho School District received confirmation of a $1.8 million FEMA grant that will allow what was previously slated to be a multipurpose storm shelter at Benton Elementary to become a FEMA Community Safe Room. This additional funding made possible by FEMA means that the shelter will be larger with automated functions that allow the surrounding community to use the space in times of a weather emergency. 

This will be a multipurpose space, allowing it to be used to offer Pre-K services at Benton Elementary. It will be just under 8,000 square feet, consisting of two classrooms and one common room. The south parking lot will get improvements to include more parking spaces and the north parking lot will be adjusted to allow more efficient parking flow.

Construction began in early 2022 with an expected completion in early 2023. Construction costs for the project are estimated to land between $2.5 to $2.9 million.

UPDATE: As promised, the Benton Elementary FEMA Community Safe Room opened in March 2023. Preschool will begin in the 2023-2024 school year.