By Abigail Roberts
Construction at Lincoln County High School is progressing and, barring any new developments, the school year is still set to begin on Sept. 8.
Lincoln County Schools Communications Coordinator Brad Smith said Aug. 8 that a design team has developed a solid plan to work on the areas of concern that caused school to be delayed by two weeks.
“Our biggest delay has been fixing some issues with the floor settling in some areas of the building,” Smith said. “We had planned to fix them as part of the initial project but a few areas needed more exploration once we got into them.”
The engineers and architects did not locate any sinkholes but have been working to fix several areas where the flooring was not level.
“Our design team has developed a solid plan for us and we are working on those areas now,” Smith said. “Basically what we ran into was the fill under the slab settling over time.”
The building, for its age, is still considered to be structurally sound by the professionals who have looked at it, he said.
“It just needs some updating and repairs, and that’s been our main purpose this summer,” he said.
The project has included new ceiling tile and vinyl composite tile, which will be going in soon, as well as public bathroom renovations, which are progressing.
“They will be finished laying the gym floor most likely this weekend,” Smith said. “Once it is laid, they will finish it and paint it.”
The school is also receiving a new intercom system throughout that will provide several new safety features.
“I am very excited about this, it’s going to be a real game changer in terms of school safety and communication within the building,” Smith said.
Nearly all of the public areas of the building are receiving a “major facelift”, Smith said, for the first time since the building opened in 1974.
“We knew this was going to be a major undertaking and overall the schedule has remained in good shape,” he said.
Construction will still be ongoing when school opens on Sept. 8 but not in areas that will impact day-to-day operations.
“We will have a plan in place to work and still have school,” Smith said. “I anticipate full completion of the project to be in October, and that has been the case all along.”
