A concept rendering of the renovations to Chicora Elementary School. Submitted Graphic

An aerial photo of Chicora Elementary from June 15 shows construction crews leveling the exterior of the building. Submitted photo

Students at the two elementary schools in Karns City Area School District will get an extra week of vacation this year because of ongoing renovations at Chicora Elementary School, which began earlier this summer.

District superintendent Eric Ritzert said construction crews will be paving roads at Chicora Elementary soon, which is the main cause for the delay. Despite this, he said the campus has been “busy” recently.

“It has been a busy summer, and it will be busy right up into the start of the school year,” Ritzert said. “The construction is going well, but we do need to delay the start by one week. That was a request made by multiple contractors to enable us to start school year in a safe manner.”

On Friday, the Karns City district announced that the start of the 2023-24 school year would be pushed back by a week for elementary school students, starting on Aug. 30 instead of Aug. 23. This applies to students at both Chicora and Sugarcreek elementary schools.

“The one-week delay for the elementary schools will permit contractors to complete items necessary to start the new school year,” Ritzert said. “The delay to the start of the school year for elementary students will not change the remainder of the school year calendar.”

According to Ritzert, the school calendar will end as previously scheduled, and the construction delay will not affect the start of the school year at Karns City Area Jr./Sr. High School, which will start on Aug. 23.

While Chicora Elementary will open for students Aug. 30, Ritzert said the construction project won’t be completed until next summer. Once it is all finished, Chicora and Sugarcreek elementary schools will be consolidated at the newly renovated Chicora Elementary, which will have the capacity to hold all of the district’s primary grades.

“What will be changed at Chicora is a new classroom wing is being added. We are also adding a new cafeteria and kitchen area,” Ritzert said. “We’re adding to the facility 12 new classrooms, and all existing classrooms are being renovated. There will be 35 classrooms when completed, not including specialized rooms.”

Ritzert also said the project costs an estimated $25 million in total, which accounts for the addition to the school as well as the renovation to the existing space.

“It’s a significant project; there's a lot of moving parts,” Ritzert said.

Chicora Elementary is being renovated and construction crews are adding a new wing of 12 classrooms. Submitted Photo