By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Crews are already working to transform the former Thompson High School building on Warrior Drive into the new Thompson Middle School, and the Alabaster Board of Education took a few more steps toward finalizing the project during a Jan. 14 meeting.

School Board members voted unanimously during the meeting to approve several bid change orders to allow more work to be done to transform the building from one school to another over the next several months.

The BOE approved a $49,690 bid to remove old marker and tack boards from throughout the old THS, a $29,621 bid to paint the inside of the building after removing the old tack and marker boards, a $30,107 bid to redo signage throughout the inside of the building, an $11,109 bid to move furniture while the projects are being completed and a $79,050 bid to purchase new marker and tack boards for the school’s classrooms.

All bids except the purchase of the new marker and tack boards were change orders to an earlier bid, which were possible because the original bid came in significantly below projections, said ACS Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers. The new marker and tack boards were purchased through a purchasing co-operative list.

Crews are already working to install VCT floor tile and repaint portions of the building, after the BOE approved a $563,855 bid to the Williford-Orman construction company during a special-called Sept. 28, 2018, meeting.

The old THS building has been vacant since students moved into the new THS campus in February. Once the renovations are completed, Alabaster City Schools will be able to enact its plan to move school campuses beginning with the fall 2019 semester.

ACS is planning to move Thompson Middle School and Thompson Sixth Grade Center into the old THS building and then move Thompson Intermediate School into the current TMS building. The current Thompson Intermediate School will be renovated to serve as central office space for the school system.

The school moves originally were planned to take place in August after renovations were completed last summer, but the scope of the renovations to the old THS building were much more extensive than originally estimated, ACS leaders said previously.