If everything goes according to schedule, this week will be the last time Ooltewah Elementary students and teachers start a new semester at the Lee Highway school.
Hamilton County School Board Chairman Mike Evatt said the new Ooltewah Elementary School under construction off of Ooltewah-Georgetown Road at the foot of White Oak Mountain is on schedule for August 2013 completion after its late November official groundbreaking.
"The contractors are doing a wonderful job," he said. "They are moving forward very well."
Despite predictions that the Chattanooga area is facing a wetter-than-normal spring, Evatt said he is not concerned about wet weather negatively influencing the on-schedule completion of the $21 million 136,000-square-foot school.
"The critical thing with any site is to get the roof on the building," said Evatt, whose day job is that of president of Evatt Construction. "Once that's done all of the other work can go on inside the building, and with this project there's a lot of work to be done inside."
In the event that weather or another factor does push construction behind schedule, he said the school system can still use the current Ooltewah Elementary School.
"If something unforeseen happens we've still got a place to put kids in school," he said. "But that is not our plan. Our plan is to put kids in the new school."
Evatt said he looks forward to the opening of the new school and encourages people to drive by the site to see its construction progress.
"I think folks in the community will really be pleased," he said. "It's a really good addition to the Ooltewah community and it will be part of the community for a long time."