Aug 23, 2017 2 min read

Construction of the new Ringgold Middle School is nearing completion, and the $34 million building is on track for opening in January 2018.

Superintendent Karen Polkabla said Wednesday students will move into the building after winter break.

Middle school students will begin the school year at the existing middle school in Finleyville.

The 141,962-square-foot building, which is being constructed next to the high school on Route 136, will feature a media center and library with three walls of windows on the second floor above the entrance and will include at least 50 classrooms.

Also during Wednesday’s school board meeting, Dr. Javaid Alvi, owner and president of GeoMechanics Inc., provided board members with options for shoring up an unstable hillside on a portion of land between the high school and the football stadium.

When Ringgold High School was built in the 1970s, the hillside apparently was not properly constructed, according to Ringgold business manager Randy Skrinjorich.

GeoMechanics Inc. spent six months evaluating the slope, and last night recommended the school board consider installing a drainage system, which would cost $100,000 to $120,000.

The board is reviewing the options, and is considering stabilizing the slope when it replaces turf on the football field.

Alvi said the slope is not an immediate concern.

In other business, the board voted to hire Kelli Dellarose as an assistant principal at Ringgold Middle School at a salary of $70,000.