The ag facility at Powell High School is nearing completion.

It was unveiled to members of the Park County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees during a tour before the Oct. 27 board meeting.

Although the Cleary metal building is largely completed, with concrete flooring in a portion, there is still much to be done to outfit the interior.

For instance, there will be an animal-handling alley welded by students inside the large room, and it will have a squeeze chute as well.

In another portion of the building, where an arena is housed, individual pens will be constructed on the elevated concrete section. Those pens will allow housing of animals, keeping them segregated from the sandy arena. That separation was important to agriculture teacher Bryce Meyer.

“We really have a strong desire to have elementary students here for clinics,” he said. The individual pens will assist in keeping younger students away from the livestock and safe. Hopes are the Wyoming Pork Producers Council will pay a portion of the costs for the metal railing for the pens. The cost is expected to be about $9,000.

In addition to the arena and livestock handling area, there is a work space, bathrooms and a classroom area. There is WiFi throughout the building, exhaust fans with automatic shutoff — no more wondering if the equipment is running when not needed — and multiple doors to the outside, allowing both students and their animals easy access from various entrances and holding or unloading areas planned for around the building.

Students and staff as well as parents and program supporters are planning a workday at the new facility to finish up the punchlist, completing items like applying waterproof finish to wood siding in the arena. Even though the wood is inside, it may be subject to getting wet when the sprinklers are run on the sand in the arena.

At the meeting following the tour, the trustees accepted the certificate of substantial completion on the building. Park County School District No. 1 Superintendent Jay Curtis said the state fire marshal had already signed off on the building, meaning it can be used now. Accepting the certificate starts the clock ticking on a 41-day window. During that time the contractor, Diamond Point Construction, must correct any issues the trustees find. Once the issues, if any, are corrected and the window closes, final payment on the building is due.

Trustee Don Hansen was concerned that the building does not have fire suppression sprinklers.

“I’d have thought that was mandatory,” Hansen said.

Curtis explained that since the building is not a full time classroom building, the sprinklers were not required and not including them reduced the overall costs significantly.

“Still, I’d have liked to see it put in,” Hansen said.