WORK CONTINUES — Crews with Grae-Con Construction of Steubenville and various subcontractors are proceeding with construction of the new Brooke County middle school near the west entrance to Brooke High School. -- Warren Scott

WELLSBURG — Construction of the new Brooke County middle school is proceeding as planned, Rob Robinson, the school district’s facilities supervisor, said Monday.

Robinson said structural construction of the school’s classrooms has been completed and the rooms’ window panes are expected to be installed in the near future.

He added steel supports for the school’s gym are expected to be built next week.

On Monday the board approved a change order, in the amount of $9,765, for additional builders risk coverage paid by Grae-Con Construction of Steubenville, the project’s general contractor.

Robinson said the insurance covers unforeseen circumstances during construction and the contractor’s allocation for it was based on earlier estimates for the project.

He said the amount, which is less than it would cost the school district through its own insurance, will come from the project’s contingency fund.

Robinson said the 110,000-square-foot building is expected to be completed by December, with furnishings for the classrooms slated to arrive in February.

The school is expected to be completed in the second half of the 2017-18 school year, but plans call for it to be used by students at the start of the 2018-19 school year to ensure a smoother transition for the youth and staff.

The school will bring together more than 800 pupils from Follansbee and Wellsburg middle schools. The board has made plans to close the two schools, citing declining enrollment and the cost to maintain them.

Earlier this summer it hired the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle to market the buildings and their property to potential new occupants.

In addition to local funds, the project was supported by $15 million from the state School Building Authority and $15 million raised by a 15-year bond issue approved by voters in 2014.

McKinley and Associates of Wheeling is the building’s architect, with Massaro Construction Services of Pittsburgh serving as project manager.

Also on Monday, the board approved the hiring of Kelsie Smith as a social studies teacher at the high school, Amanda Schey as a first grade teacher at Franklin Primary School, Patricia Williams and Adelina Johnson as special education aides at Wellsburg Middle School, Jeromy Sadler as an assistant football coach at the high school and Chelsey Stockdale as assistant volleyball coach at the high school.

It also accepted the resignation of Suzie Hudok, a fourth grade teacher at Franklin Primary School, who is retiring.

Also hired was Harry Moore as cabinetmaker and operator of the small sanitation plant that serves the high school; Jonathan Reitter as a bus driver, Brad Feist as a custodian based at the high school, and several substitute service personnel.

The board’s next meeting will be at 5 p.m. July 31 at its office at 1201 Pleasant Ave.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)