SENECA — The School District of Oconee County has announced that Melloul-Blaney Construction of Greenville is the apparent low bidder to construct the new Blue Ridge Elementary School that is slated to open in August 2009.

But Assistant Superintendent for Operational Services Michael Thorsland said Wednesday that the district isn’t ready to award a contract just yet.

“We’ve got to clarify some things on a couple of other bids,” Thorsland said, adding, “We’re working through the process to see if we can get them on site pretty soon.”

Melloul-Blaney, which constructed the addition at Walhalla Elementary School, submitted a bid of $13.6 million for Blue Ridge

Thorsland said that the next lowest bidder submitted a $13.8 million proposal. “Our architects felt anything below $14 million would be a good, solid bid for us.”

Blue Ridge Elementary, which will combine Kellett and Code elementary schools, will feature an entry tower — reminiscent of the Seneca Graded School that once stood on the site now occupied by the Seneca Library — as well as Corinthian columns and a pointed roof. Thorsland said Blue Ridge will contain primary grades on one side and a full-sized gymnasium with no seating, which will hold two physical education classes simultaneously.

In addition, the assistant superintendent said there will also be three full-sized baseball fields at the school — to be used primarily by the Seneca Recreation Department.

Floor plans for the new school call for a science lab, art room, gifted and talented area, guidance area and classroom wings. The cafeteria wing has also been changed to make it more efficient and provide additional viewing for the platform area, and an additional set of doors has been added to enable quicker student access.

The music room will be located in close proximity to the cafeteria, with two serving lines for the new kitchen.

The new school will also contain enough seating tables to simultaneously accommodate two classrooms in the media center and computer stations. Thorsland said a conference room, with glass and blinds for privacy and double doors at the entrance for security purposes — the second set locked after school opens — are included in the plans.

Thorsland, who said he hoped to see work begin within the next four weeks, believed the school will open on time.

“It’s going to be a tight time frame, but we’re still optimistic that it will be ready,” Thorsland said.

While Blue Ridge represents one part of the district’s building program, additions to Northside Elementary represent the other. Officials say bids for that project will be advertised June 22 and opened in July.

Though Northside Elementary is undergoing renovation, the project itself will be massive. Thorsland said a kindergarten wing will be constructed on the “flat field” area and a full-sized gymnasium added to the end of the wing. Like Blue Ridge, the new gymnasium will not feature seating.

A new cafeteria area and stage will be included in the new addition.

“This will double as an auditorium for performances in the evening,” Thorsland said.

Thorsland added that the current driveway for student drop-offs and pick-ups would be rerouted to the back of the school in order to become a bus loop.

“That will offer plenty of parent stacking service to keep vehicles off the road,” he said.

The addition will require that Northside cafeteria workers prepare daily lunches at Seneca High School and then transport those lunches back to their school. The lunches would then be served in a makeshift cafeteria located in the current gymnasium.

“The cafeteria workers will prepare food items that can be easily transported, but they will not necessarily be bag lunches,” Kay Powell, school and community relations director for the district, said Wednesday afternoon.