Closed since 2016 flood, Baker High School on track to return next year

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BAKER - After six years of waiting and students having to share space at the middle school, Baker High School is finally on track to be reborn.

"It's going to make our students feel like they're cared for," school board member Joyce Burges said.

Baker's School Board finally selected a contractor to move ahead with the project after delaying the vote several times. The biggest setback, however, was finding funding.

"It was money. We tried different sources to obtain the funds, and those were just dead ends."

Now that's changed. Funding for the $20 million project has been found through multiple sources, including a local bank, FEMA, and grants.

It’s less money than originally planned, but money will be saved by keeping some of the original buildings intact instead of starting from the ground up.

"According to the architect, there are going to be a few demolitions, but there is also going to be some rebuilding as well.”

There were still a couple important additions the council wanted, adding another $700,000 to the budget.

"There were something things that we really wanted done, like our band room, our shop room, and so reserving those funds to make sure we get those things done because we have the best band in the land."

No word on when construction will begin, but the expected completion date is the fall of next year.