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Jessica Nelms

Students at Northside Elementary School enjoy lunch in their newly renovated cafeteria. The cafeteria and gymnasium at both Northside Elementary School and Blue Ridge Elementary School are now complete, finalizing both projects.

SENECA — A school district’s work is never done, especially when it comes to building projects.

The School District of Oconee County recently wrapped up the construction of Blue Ridge Elementary School and additions to Northside Elementary School and officials are now making preparations to add on to Seneca High School and West-Oak High School. Future building projects will include construction of a new Walhalla High School and the renovation of Tamassee-Salem Middle and High School.

Although Blue Ridge Elementary School and Northside Elementary School opened on schedule in August, work remained on the gymnasium and stage in the cafetorium of Blue Ridge and the cafeteria and physical education facilities at Northside. Blue Ridge Elementary students used the Seneca Baptist Church gymnasium for PE classes while Gignilliat Gym served as the temporary PE home for Northside students.

While construction of Northside’s cafeteria was taking place, bag lunches were prepared at Code Elementary and taken to the school.

“Northside is now completely open,” said Michael Thorsland, assistant superintendent for operational services. “We began cooking in the kitchen on Monday (Oct. 26).”

Thorsland said that Blue Ridge Elementary is also completely open, as only “some punch list items and work on the outside of the buildings” remain.

“The last two months of rain have hindered our schedule,” Thorsland said.

As far as the Seneca High and West-Oak High additions are concerned, Thorsland said Seneca High’s need for an auxiliary gymnasium and West-Oak’s for science labs and a more secure front entrance necessitated both projects. Thorsland, whose request was approved by the school board in May, said the projects — whose combined cost is between $6 million to $8 million — would not require any tax increases.

In addition, Thorsland said the additions would not impact the Walhalla and Tamassee-Salem projects since 2014 is the earliest that construction would begin in those areas.

The 30,000-square-foot addition at Seneca High features not only an auxiliary gymnasium but also 10 classrooms and a science lab addition. West-Oak High’s proposed 20,000-square-foot addition includes expansion of the cafeteria, air conditioning for the gymnasium and eight classroom and science lab additions as well as a more secure front entrance.

“We want to make it so the public would have to pass through an office area before entering the lobby,” Thorsland said, pointing out that West-Oak High School opened in 1983, prior to school shootings nationwide that prompted the need for secure entrances.