Lincoln School Storm Shelter
Lincoln School was constructed after a devastating tornado tore through the city of Marion. It replaced the “old” Lincoln which was destroyed by that tornado. As space demands have grown, the school has had three additions built, which have stretched the core support spaces to their limits. One of those core spaces that suffered was the combination gymnasium/cafeteria. Originally, that dual use space worked well, but as the student population has grown, it no longer met the demands forced upon it. Hurst-Rosche suggested a FEMA/IEMA grant to construct a “safe room” that could serve both as a cafeteria, a tornado shelter, and a post-event service center to the community. The City of Marion is not only located in what is sometimes called “tornado alley”, but is also situated within the likely impact area of the well-known New Madrid Fault. This combination makes the community keenly aware of what could happen in the future. The grant application was successful, garnering $1.5 million of the $2.1 million project. The difference of the cost was to redesign the existing kitchen to serve into the new structure. This hardened construction will serve not only the students during school hours, but locate a post event service center in a critical part of the community as part of an overall county-wide emergency response plan.
