Long awaited, needed renovations begin for 70-year-old elementary school in Devils Lake.
Ground was broken recently on the long-awaited Prairie View Elementary School renovations and addition. On Thursday, May 22 (almost 70 years to the day when Prairie View was first built), people gathered to hear from Superintendent Ned Clooten and others speak during the groundbreaking.
Some of the renovations will include creating a secure and accessible main entrance, having a larger kitchen and cafeteria space, additional classrooms to accommodate current enrollment and fifth-grade students, a new gymnasium for physical education and community use, and adding air conditioning. The renovations will be 28,390 square feet with the addition being 5,580 square feet.
The bond referendum to approve the renovations was overwhelmingly approved by the voters last year and will total $27,789,620.
“We’re two days away from 70 years exactly from when they approved $650,000 to build three elementary schools in the city of Devils Lake,” Clooten said. “The people of Devils Lake have put their trust in us to build an addition to Prairie View Elementary.”
School board president Corey Meyer said the project is an “investment shaping the future of all that enter and walk the walls and providing a learning space we can all be proud.”
Mayor Jim Moe, who said he was one of the first students to attend Prairie View, said he was “very proud to be a part of this community, and very proud that we’re going to have a beautiful elementary system for our children.”
He added they “deserve everything we’re going to give them. It all helps in their learning and everything to go with that.”
Principal Sara Thompson said “this new building represents more than just walls and windows. It’s a promise, a promise to our students, our staff, and our families, that we believe in them and they deserve a space that is designed for discovery, connection and growth.”
Everything is expected to be completed by July 2026.
