The renovations to West Lowndes High School should be completed by the start of the new school year, according to the district’s architect.
During Friday’s meeting of the Lowndes County School Board, Joey Henderson with JBHM Architects updated board members on the progress of combining the middle school and high school at the West Lowndes campus.
Crews have done limited renovations on the high school building and are waiting until school is out to complete the project, Henderson said. Renovations include adding new restroom facilities and rearranging classroom layout. The renovations should be completed by August.
New classrooms are being added at the elementary school and block work has been completed, Henderson said. Brickwork and the roofing system will be installed in coming weeks.
Turning toward the New Hope campus, Henderson said engineering firm Neel-Schaffer is working with the county to establish a location for a new sewer line. Easements will be required to install the new line, he said. Henderson said he expects work on the sewer line to begin in July or August.
In addition, with funds provided by Federal Emergency Management Agency, Henderson hopes to build a storm shelter for the district. However, he said FEMA is not currently accepting applications so the project is on hold.
Construction on the new Caledonia campus has not yet begun due to environmental testing. Once the site is cleared by the Environmental Protection Agency, Henderson said the district will advertise for contractors.
The work at West Lowndes, New Hope and the Caledonia campuses are Phase One of the district’s master plan for expansion.
Phase One of the plan includes building a new elementary school and expanding the middle school on the Caledonia campus, closing the middle school at West Lowndes and adding new additions to the elementary school and high school and pursing options for a new physical education facility at New Hope and a Career Tech Center.
The entire project will cost the district an estimated $26 million.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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