The Natrona County School Board approved a maximum guaranteed price of $14,162,822 for the new eastside elementary school at a meeting on Monday in Casper.

That price, however, doesn't include "enhancements," according to Mark Antrim, facilities director for the district.

Enhancements for the school could include athletic spaces or additional square footage beyond footage approved by the School Facilities Commission.

"These support instruction and learning for students," Antrim said.

One idea calls for a map of Wyoming on the floor of the school.

"The SFC considers this an enhancement, but we consider this a learning piece for the facility. It could be used as the basis for instruction related to Wyoming," he said. "It's considered an enhancement because a regular floor wouldn't cost as much. That's the difference."

The board also approved a cost overrun for the remodel of the Natrona County High School vocational building.

Due to asbestos found when construction began, the remodel will cost about $400,000 more than projected. Asbestos is considered a carcinogen, and must be managed carefully within buildings, Antrim said.

"They had to strip everything back to the masonry blocks," he said. "[The asbestos] had permeated every adhesive, drywall mud, all the electrical and plumbing - everything in the structure had some."

In other news, the board will host retreats during August to work on upcoming and ongoing issues. All retreats and meetings are open to the public.

The first will be from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 25, to discuss enhancement funding. The second will be from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 27, to discuss enrollment preferences.

A weekend retreat scheduled from Aug. 28 to 30 will be moved to Casper from Sheridan. During that meeting, board members will discuss team building, processes and procedures and district goals.

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0616 or megan.lee@trib.com. Read her DogBlog at tribtown.trib.com/MeganLee/Blog.