By next year, Mobile County, Ala., is expecting to complete a number of construction projects that will improve and add to the region's public school system. The Mobile Press-Register reports several new schools are being built this year and other buildings are receiving major renovations. Overall, the projects will cost roughly $100 million.
A number of companies have already rolled out their construction equipment and begun building new schools and renovating those already standing. For instance, the brand-new $8 million Taylor-White Elementary School is already more than halfway completed (60 percent), and construction on the $11 million Augusta Evans Campus just began as well. Renovations of the B.C. Rain High School, estimated to cost about $16 million are halfway finished.
"It's going to look like a 21st century facility. It will look brand new internally and externally," Facilities manager Tony Sheffield told the news source of the B.C Rain renovations.
Local construction companies are still bidding on other renovation and new construction projects. There are four elementary schools in need of about $4 million in renovations, and the news publication indicates county officials have scheduled construction to begin by the fall so it can be finished by this winter.
One of the driving factors spurring the county to bring in steamrollers, backhoes and other construction equipment is a shift in school zones that saw two schools leave the county district completely. This has led to schools like the North Mobile County Middle School to take on more students, which will lead to overcrowding. Hopefully, once the construction projects are done, the county's school system will be able to accommodate all of its students in less cramped settings.
"I think it's going to be an exciting year," District Superintendent Martha Peek told the news source. "Change offers its challenges, but it's also motivating."
In addition to the many different construction projects, the school district is also adding new career academies to give students new career options, according to Local 15-TV. Blount High school will feature a healthcare academy, B.C. Rain will have a brand new aviation and aerospace department, and Mary C. Montgomery students can fast track their education careers if they choose.
