By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board approved a maximum guaranteed price of $1.925 million for renovations to what will be the new Hays Middle School at its meeting on Monday night.
The $300,000 savings will stay in the bond fund.
The former Hays High building is being renovated for use as a middle school.
Work began on Monday to relocate classroom materials to the new high school. The new Hays High is set to open in August. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Aug. 29.
Sets of three classrooms in the new middle school will be reconfigured to two classrooms with a collaborative area. This will result in more space per classroom, increasing classrooms from 700 square feet to 900 square feet.
"We will have more space and better space than we have at all of the current middle school," HMS Principal Tom Albers said.
The new classrooms will receive new paint, new floor coverings, ceilings, lighting and visual boards.
The work that Nabholz Construction will supervise will also include replacing the exterior door system.
An additional $3.86 million in renovations are being completed under the supervision of district staff, which includes painting and carpeting. The total cost of the project will be about $6.1 million.
Middle school students and staff are set to start classes in the renovated building in January. The current middle school will be renovated for use as an elementary school.
More than 2,700 companies were invited to bid on the work. Forty-nine bids were received. Thirty-seven percent of the participating companies are local.