Construction on what will be known as Karns City Area Elementary School is progressing on schedule for the building to open to all district students in kindergarten through sixth grade on Sept. 3.

Eric Ritzert, superintendent of Karns City Area School District, said despite the district school board approving several change orders for the project at a meeting Monday, July 15, the contractor said work is on-schedule.

The project to bring students from the now-closed Sugarcreek Elementary School to Chicora Elementary has been in the works for several years, and Ritzert said the cost of the project is now an estimated $25 million.

The elementary school is getting a new wing complete with 12 classrooms, as well as a new cafeteria and kitchen area. The school will have 35 classrooms when completed, not including specialized rooms.

While all the new classrooms in the building should be completed by Sept. 3, Ritzert said there will still be some construction going on around the students, particularly in the new gymnasium and the adjoining new music room.

The school district is also making the merge without losing any staff members from Sugarcreek Elementary, save for the ones who willingly left the school district. The district even hired new teachers in the process of consolidating two schools.

“We hired at the June meeting four elementary teachers, two for kindergarten and two for fifth grade,” Ritzert said. “We're excited about all kindergarten through sixth grade being in the same school. Everyone who was with us last year is returning.”