Excavation has begun for the new Harrison Elementary School.
Contractor Anderson-Shaw started work in July, tearing out the foundation of a demolished building and beginning dirt work to prep the site.
Superintendent Dr. Brett Gies Monday said materials for construction are starting to arrive on site and will be stored in the upper parking lot to the south of the high school. The west entrance to the high school is closed for the duration of construction, expected to last about a year.
The Sioux County school board went through two bid processes over more than a year as it sought a solution to building a new ADA-compliant elementary. The project will move the elementary school from across town to share the same site as the high school. A storage building was torn down to make room for the elementary school.
Anderson-Shaw won the contract with a bid of $3.6 million. The district had previously rejected bids in the $5 million range and adjusted its plans, downsizing the overall footprint of the project. Â Â Â