Russellville High construction makes progress

Coming up the hill on Waterloo Road approaching Russellville City Schools, the landscape has changed, as over the past few months a building has emerged in front of the high school construction site – a glimpse of what things will look like once construction is completed.

RCS is continuing the process of adding a new main building to the high school, which will be two stories tall and serve as the main high school entrance.

“Whenever you are driving down the road coming toward the school, you can already see the building, and they haven’t even added the second story yet,” said RCS Superintendent Heath Grimes. “It is so exciting to see every day and think about what it will be like to drive in and see it every day once construction is complete.”

RHS Principal Jason Goodwin said the new building will not only serve a functional purpose of adding space to the high school, but it will also serve as a visual reminder that RCS is continually working to become bigger and better.

“We are very proud of our tradition of excellence, and I think when people see that building coming into the school, it will really display that,” Goodwin said. “We are already starting to see that.”

Grimes said now that construction is in full swing, everyone is able to tell how large the building will be.

“It is so different, seeing a drawing of what it is expected to look like, but once you actually see the construction, you can finally tell how large the building will be and how much of a statement it will make,” Grimes said.

The first floor has been built, and workers are adding the beginnings of the second story.

“Everything has come along fast,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin said the construction area looks completely different than it did a few months ago, so there is no telling how much will be completed by the time the students return in August.

Grimes said construction is still on schedule to be completed by January 2022, but he does not anticipate students to be in the building until August 2022.

“It just doesn’t really make much sense to us to work on moving everyone and getting everyone re-adjusted in the middle of a school year,” Grimes said. “We might could move in, but I am not sure how realistic that would be.”

The new building is expected to be phase one of a two-part construction plan, which will add more space for the high school and re-vamp the Career Tech Center.

Once the building is completed, most of the career tech programs will move in before construction begins on the current career tech center.

Once construction is completed with the career tech center, the main building will house the main office, several career tech classes, the EL Program and the new science department.

“It is very exciting to think everything that is to come for RHS,” Goodwin said. “We know a lot of amazing memories are to come.”