The excavation process is underway at Ragland School and the foundation for the six-classroom addition that will include a new library will be poured soon.

The St. Clair County Board Of Education will foot the bill for the $10.6 million addition.

“It was time for some updates at Ragland,” St. Clair County Board of Education Superintendant John Moore said. He said that it has been “a while” since capital updates have been made at the school.

“We’re glad to create some nice, new space at Ragland,” Moore said.

“We’re just hoping to get past the construction.”

Lathan Associates architectural firm designed the building and Eugene Turner Construction out of Anniston is handling construction.

At Ragland High School, Principal Jeff Hardy said that he is delighted that the construction for the new addition is underway.

Hardy said that although the rain setback some of the excavation work at the site in front of the school that he is glad that the company is working diligently, though the company has to work around students for a portion of the day. “That really doesn’t bother me, because I can see that they are doing it right,” he said. “It’s a joy working with these guys here because they are very student-conscience about safety and interfering with the educational process.”

He said that Ragland has been needing and wanting an addition for a number of years and that he is thankful for the St. Clair Board of Education for providing the funds to build the addition.

Hardy said that since 1986 when he joined the Ragland staff that there has been a four and six classroom addition at the school as well as a lunchroom addition. “This addition here has come at a very appropriate time,” Hardy said.

The middle school students will be housed at the new addition on the second floor.

“That will give s a transition area for kids coming from the elementary school,” Hardy explained. He said that, like so many other schools in the area, it is important for disciplinary and developmental reasons, to separate the middle school students from the elementary and high school students.

The library addition to the new building will be set up where half will be available to students through the seventh grade and half for students eighth through twelfth grade.

“It’s going to be a great thing,” Hardy said. “They’ll be able to do research there.”

There will be new furniture and storage space at the new building “which is a big thing,” Hardy said. “It’s vital for the large amounts of records we have to keep to have that storage space as well.”