Workers ‘raise the roof’ at Hartshorne dome storm shelter

HARTSHORNE — Workers flicked some switches and raised the roof — literally — at the new storm shelter being built adjacent to the Hartshorne High School and Middle School.

It marked another milestone in the construction of the new monolithic domed facility, Hartshorne Public Schools Superintendent Mark Ichord said.

“It really looks like it’s coming up,” Ichord said before the raising of the dome on last week. “It’s pretty amazing.”

The dome is a plastic-like membrane that is sprayed inside with a polyurethane foam and a concrete-like substance called shotcrete, which will harden to a steel-reinforced consistency three inches thick, said Nathan South, of the Idaho-based South Industries, which is handling the dome-portion of the construction project.

Ichord and several others, including Ron Cunningham and Joe Younger, joined workers inside the building as the blown-inair began to raise the dome membrane a little at a time.

“It’s amazing to see the physics — how this happens,” Ichord said as the dome membrane started to lift upward.

When completed, the building will be 45 feet high and 150 feet in diameter, he said.

Ichord said it’s something Hartshorne-area residents can use for years to come.

“This will be something great and beneficial for the community,” he said. “This kind of storm shelter can protect the whole city.”

“We couldn’t have done this without the taxpayer,” Ichord said, adding that they’re the ones who made it possible for Hartshorne to have this type of storm shelter.

Voters in Hartshorne passed a $7.7 million school bond issue in November, 2015, giving the OK for a bond package used to construct and equip two monolithic domes: The one at the high school and middle school and a smaller one at North Ward Elementary School. The dome at the elementary school has already been raised.

The monolithic dome at the high school will double as a storm shelter and event center. Both domes in Hartshorne are being constructed according to Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines. Ichord said the shelters will be open to the entire community and surrounding area.

Plans call for the building at the high school to include a basketball court with retractable seating at the lower levels. While it could seat 1,150 people for an event, it could hold up to 3,000 in case of a tornado or other emergency.