DECATUR -- Since the decision to reopen a portion of the old Decatur Middle School last March, construction crews continue to work at a fast pace in order to have it ready in time for the Aug. 18 scheduled opening date for the 2014-15 school year.
Larry Ben, outgoing Decatur superintendent, opened the facility June 16 for a tour by the Decatur School Board. This marked the first time the board was able to view the work in progress on the facility since construction began in April.
The tour included two sixth-grade classrooms, the counselor's office, the technologies center, main entrance and office area.
"The new ceiling has been completed," Ben explained. "We have a lot of work left to do on the walls and floors, but I believe we will have this work completed by the first day of class on Aug. 18."
The tour ended with the inspection of available furnishings for the facility. One room in the western part of the Middle School was packed with student desks, chairs and work tables, in storage since the building closed in 2009. Since that time, several leaks in the ceiling created mold and mildew in this area. So many of the furnishings in this area will have to undergo an intense cleaning procedure before they go back into service.
"One question we will have to address in tonight's board meeting is whether to use the existing equipment or to go for a grant to buy new furnishings for this facility," Ben stated.
Judging from the amount of work still left to do on the Middle School, renovation crews will put in a lot of hours in order to have the facility ready in August. Ben is confident that renovation will be complete and the Decatur Middle School will be ready to receive its first students in five years.
"Now the sixth through ninth graders will finally have an identity of their own," Ben said. "They will no longer have to share an identity with Decatur High or Northside Elementary. They will be Decatur Middle Schoolers."
General News on 06/25/2014