Cherokee County school district construction projects are continuing to progress on schedule.

R.M. Moore Elementary School's new classroom addition is on track to open at the beginning of next school year.

The electrical contractor is working on the final room connections while installation of the flooring and touch-up of interior painting has been completed.

Interior door and hardware installation and site landscaping are also under way.

The 24,052-square-feet addition will contain 26 classrooms. One part will be for kindergarten through third grade and the other part is for fourth through sixth grade.

Construction supervisor Phil Parrott noted the addition will also feature a teacher workroom and additional restrooms.

Headley Construction was selected to build the addition. The $3.5 million facility is scheduled for occupancy in August 2010.

The district's new high school is also nearing completion.

Construction of the field houses and baseball concession stands, dressing and maintenance of the sod, exterior brick installation, aluminum window installation and overhead HVAC, plumbing and electrical rough-ins are all under way at River Ridge High School in southeast Cherokee County.

Painting and ceiling grid installation continues in the classroom wings and metal wall panels, metal roofing and built-up roofing activities are in its final stages.

The $55.3 million project being constructed by Barton Malow Construction Services will be ready to hold between 1,800 and 2,000 students when it opens in August 2010.

A new freezer in the district's central warehouse is also being installed.

A contract with Ricks Contracting to install the freezer for $1.7 million was approved by the county Board of Education in June.

The project will also include making renovations to the district's food services facility.

Russ Sims, assistant superintendent of support services and facilities/construction management, said the new freezer will help provide storage space for out-of-service freezers at district schools.

Sims said the freezers at the school remain overstocked due to "keeping an adequate supply for shortages."

"This results in greater strain on each system and poor work conditions resulting from operating an overstocked freezer," he said.

The freezer is 3,800 square feet, with 2,800 square feet for basic storage and 1,000 square feet for emergency storage.

Installation and renovations of the building are scheduled to be completed by Spring 2010.

The early stages of constructing a new elementary school on Univeter Road near Canton has begun.

Mass grading on the site is nearing completion and underground sewer lines and electrical service inside the building's footing are complete.

Underground storm and sanitary drainage systems, concrete slabs installation, concrete block wall and steel erection are all underway at the facility.

The school board in February approved a $17.6 million contract with Evergreen Construction to build the 140,000 square-foot building, which sits on 41.45 acres.

The school's design is similar to the one used for Knox Elementary in Canton. It will have 77 instructional units, a media center, cafetorium, two art rooms, two music rooms, two computer labs, a gym, a mechanical mezzanine in a corridor above the hallways and a family living center for special-needs students.

Outside, the school will have a basketball court, two playgrounds and open green field space.

The Univeter Road school will have a capacity of 1,250 students and is schedule to open August 2011.

The new elementary school that's schedule to be constructed on Hunt Road in southwest Cherokee is also in its very early stages.

A $15.4 million contract was awarded last month to Evergreen Construction to build the facility.

The same design used for Knox Elementary and the new elementary school under construction on Univeter Road will be used for the Hunt Road site.

The building, which will sit on about 43 acres, will be 134,824 square feet with the capacity to hold 1,250 students. The building will have 77 instructional units, a mechanical mezzanine above the ceiling and will have a media center, computer labs, a gymnasium and art/music rooms.

The Cherokee County Board of Education also:

* Recognized Creekview High School competition cheer coach Brooke McArthur for being named to the 2009 Thirty Under Thirty list by the National Cheer Conference, Woodstock High School student Heath Golden for placing eighth in the Banking and Finance at the National Future Business Leaders of American conference and School District Police Department for being re-certified as a Certified Law Agency by the state of Georgia

* Nominated itself for the Georgia School Boards Association's "School Board of Distinction and re-adopted the Georgia School Boards Association's standards for local boards of education.

* Approved the July 2009 financial report and sales tax update.

* Solicited requests for proposals to perform the 2008-09 and 2009-10 annual financial audits.

* Out-of-state/overnight field trips.

* An update on capital outlay projects.

* Recommendations, resignations, terminations and transfers of classified and certified personnel.

* County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo informed the Board the school district sent out letters informing parents, teacher and district staff of President Barack Obama's plan to speak to elementary school students in a Web cast on Tuesday. Petruzielo said schools are under no obligation to view the Web cast and if they choose so, will provide students an opportunity to opt out of viewing the Web cast. Petruzielo also said students will not be penalized for not viewing the webcast and teachers are not required to implement suggested lesson plans by the U.S. Department of Education.