Groundbreaking for the Vicksburg High School remodeling and renovation project is 10 a.m. Nov. 5, Vicksburg Warren School District trustees said Tuesday.

The trustees announced the date at their Tuesday  board meeting during an update of the school district’s estimated $132 million school district-wide capital improvements project to renovate and expand school facilities.

The $37 million Vicksburg High project is the first major project under the program. Thrash Commercial Contractors of Brandon, the only bidder on the project, will perform the work.

The project is expected to be completed in June 2021, according to a project schedule Gary Bailey, who is managing the school renovations for project architects Dale Bailey Architects, gave the trustees.

“All the contracts are signed; as soon as the new market tax credits are official, we will have an official notice to proceed and a preconstruction conference,” Bailey said.

He said the design for the renovations and remodeling project for Warren Central High School “is well under way, and we expect to receive bids on it after the first of the year, the first of March. The budget for Warren Central is estimated at $26.3 million, according to the project schedule.

“The project is coming like we expected it to,” he said. “It helps that we’ve done Vicksburg, because the similarities with programs helps with everybody making sure we’re keeping everything equal between the two high schools. It makes it an easy process.

Also under design are remodeling and renovation projects for Vicksburg Junior High School, the Vicksburg High and Warren Central High athletic facilities, Warren Central Junior High, the new Academy of Innovation and Beechwood Elementary.

Bailey said advertisement for bids for the first phase of athletic facilities renovations for Vicksburg and Warren Central are expected to go out in November and be opened at the December board meeting.

“That first phase, to remind you, includes all the turf and the tracks at both high schools (and) for softball and baseball,” he said, adding he met with the coaches from both schools to go over the work involved with the entire project.

He said the bid specifications will include several options for turf for the baseball, softball and football fields.

“We will also have two options on the tracks; one is a sprayed application and the other is a layered application, which is more of a collegiate level track. As long as we can maintain our budget, we’ll go with the best thing we can.

“There’s many, many people interested in that (athletic) process,” Bailey said, adding that while there may be some “stadium seating inconveniences,” the new fields will be ready for football in August.