Gary “Toby” Clodfelter will join Fort Zumwalt School District as the new Director of Construction, Renovation and Building Systems. Clodfelter, who has held similar positions with Parkway School District and, more recently, Special School District, has managed projects large and small, including Special School District’s Central Transportation Center. This work and his work as a general contractor bring a variety of experiences in managing money, staffing and time.
He joins the district at a key point in the facilities planning process. Clodfelter will be leading the capital improvement projects made possible through voter approval of a 2022 no-tax-levy-increase bond issue. That will include working with his predecessor Lisa Koester to:
move students into the new additions at North High and North Middle.
begin sitework on the new Transportation Center near Iffrig and Salt River Roads.
plan and bid summer projects such as interior improvements and concrete work.
“I take a bit of a different look at it,” Clodfelter says of the varying scale of work. “Those smaller projects can be harder, or at least as difficult as, the larger ones. They have the same requirements, bidding, meetings. They require the same level of attention. I do like the scale of the bigger projects, though, and the longer-term timelines.”
Koester, who is in her 25th year with the department, has announced her retirement after serving almost 10 years as director. “I’m going to enjoy my time with Lisa and absorb all I can.” Clodfelter says. “She’s been there a long time and I really want to just continue with her good work."