Nearly every building in the Fayette school district is undergoing extensive work over the summer in preparation for the upcoming school year. Elementary, middle, and high school buildings, along with the agriculture building, are receiving maintenance and improvements.

With the passage of a bond issue by voters in April, many different projects were planned for this summer in the hopes that much of the work could be completed before the start of the 2023-2024 school year. Routine building maintenance, such as waxing floors, painting walls, and repairing lockers, is currently being completed. The district plans to replace seven classroom Smart Boards with new interactive display panels before the school year begins. 

Several larger projects were also completed this summer. The Commercial Trust Company of Fayette provided new scoreboards for the football and softball fields, which were installed in June. The high school gymnasium underwent construction as the lighting and air conditioning units were replaced. The previous units began to fail around the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

“Those projects are finished, and you can really tell a difference,” said Superintendent Brent Doolin. “The AC unit actually keeps the gym cool now, and things just look better overall.”

Projects currently underway include new doors, windows, and ceiling tiles for the elementary and middle school buildings, as well as asbestos abatement and wall reinforcement. The high school is undergoing extensive construction. Workers are replacing the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system, replacing the lights with LED bulbs, and applying a new roof on part of the high school and the agriculture building. With the school year approaching in less than a month, there is a chance not all of the construction will be completed before the students return. 

“Some of the HVAC is probably not going to be finished before school starts,” Doolin said. “I’m praying that the walls and windows are finished, but I don’t have a guarantee on that.”

The total budget for the projects is around $3.4 million. The district’s Board of Education awarded the contract to Veregy during its regular monthly meeting in May.

Other projects currently on the horizon for the school district include constructing a new concession stand for the football field near the agriculture building and replacing the wall mats in the high school gymnasium. Both projects will be headed by the Fayette Athletic Booster Club and Justin Cross.