Vicksburg Warren School District officials will open bids for renovations at Vicksburg High School in about two weeks.

“The most critical thing is two weeks from yesterday (Wednesday) is Sept. 12, when we receive bids on Vicksburg High School,” Gary Bailey, who is managing the school renovations project for Dale Bailey Architects, the project architects, told school district trustees Thursday.

“It’s obviously a huge, huge day for the overall bond issue because of its size, and it is the first large project to come out.”

Bailey said a pre-bid conference was recently held on the project “and I was very surprised to see some large contractors; regional guys from Mobile (Alabama), Birmingham (Alabama) and several in Mississippi. There were a lot of subs (subcontractors) and vendors.

“Sept. 12 is a big day because we have to meet that deadline to make the (bond) markets work, so you’ll have a special meeting at 4 o’clock that evening hoping to award a wonderful bid,” Bailey said. “I’ll try to give you the best advice I can on what that estimate is going to come in as, but the public bid market will tell us what that bid is going to be.”

The renovation and remodeling of Vicksburg High School is part of an estimated $132 million school district-wide capital improvements project to renovate and expand school facilities funded in part by an $83 million bond issue. The Vicksburg High project is the first major project under the program. A similar project is planned for Warren Central High School.

Two projects set to begin are the reroofing of Warren Central High and Beechwood Elementary School. Bailey said contractors are beginning to deliver materials to schools in advance of starting the work.

In another matter, Bailey told the school district trustees he plans to donate $5,000 scholarships at each high school. Under the plan, he will donate a $5,000 scholarship at each school for the next three years.

“However you want to set that up doesn’t matter to me; just tell me when you want me to write the check,” he said.