ALTON - To ensure the safety of students and to create a patio/walkway between its main building and STEM centers, Marquette Catholic has obtained use of a street adjacent to its west side on Easton Street in Alton.
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The upper part of the street will be leveled and made into a walkway and commons area for students going between buildings. Marquette Catholic High School Principal Mike Slaughter said the construction was planned more than a year ago when the school leased 10,000 square feet of the former Miller's Mutual Building to utilize for math and science labs. Currently there are three science labs and four math labs. The school embarked on a quiet capital campaign to raise the money for the 25-year lease with Giant City, LLC as well as for the construction of the labs. Many local businesses and families donated.
Slaughter said the biggest single donation came from St. Louis-based Emerson Electric, which gave the school $100,000 for its efforts.
Approval from the city to build over the existing street came over the spring, both Slaughter and Alton Public Works Director Bob Barnhart said. It is expected to be completed by the time students return to classes in August.
