Raymore-Peculiar Gym and Safe-Room
Aerial view of the Raymore-Peculiar gym and safe room. Inside is the auxilliary gym which seats 800 people and includes locker rooms and classrooms. As a storm shelter, it can hold 2300 students and faculty.
In 2017, Raymore-Peculiar (known as “Ray-Pec”) High School constructed a Monolithic Dome gym and safe room as part of a larger $23 million expansion. The “original plan was to harden multiple smaller spaces for student and staff safety during inclement weather. However, the cost to harden multiple spaces started to grow and a more economical solution started to present itself in the form of a dome.”
World Domes constructed a 140-foot (42.6 m) diameter by 28-foot (8.5 m) tall dome integrated into the concrete block stem wall. The whole structure is FEMA 361 and ICC 500 rated for “near absolute protection” for students and staff to shelter during extreme weather. It is expected to withstand an EF5 tornado.
Most of the time, it’s an 800 seat auxilliary gym with locker rooms and classrooms. The plan was to add safety for the students, but they get a gymnasium for free!
“Joplin had their tragedy a few years ago,” said Bryan Pettengill, Ray-pec Assistant Superintendent, “It really changed our outlook. All school districts had to step back and make sure we have facilities to protect our students.”
“With nearly 2,000 students under one roof, we want to make sure we have a place to protect them,” he added.
Ray-Pec High School serves Cass County, Missouri, including all of Peculiar and Raymore, and parts of Belton, Lee’s Summit, and Lake Winnebago. The district serves over 2000 students.
The dome was added as part of a larger expansion. Originally, the plan was to build safe spaces inside the expansion, but eventually the dome was chosen as the affordable option not only as a storm shelter but as a gymnasium—essentially two buildings for the price of one.