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Demolition underway at Baker High School, construction of new school to begin soon

1 year 6 months 1 week ago Tuesday, September 20 2022 Sep 20, 2022 September 20, 2022 11:52 AM September 20, 2022 in News
Source: WBRZ

BAKER - Passing by Baker High School on Groom Road, you'll see lots of rubble and concrete on the grounds and destruction behind the campus: buildings are torn down, and bricks and sheetrock are scattered across the schoolyards as the last reminder of the 2016 flood.

Demolition is expected to be completed by the end of October, and construction of the brand-new school is expected to be completed by next year.

The overall project is expected to cost nearly $20 million. Manning Architect drew up a sketch of what it should look like come next year, and those plans are still in the works.

Right now, they're demolishing 60 thousand square feet of existing buildings that were beyond repair from the 2016 flood and will renovate the remainder. Contractors will also add another 40 thousand square feet.

"That's the last reminder of 2016 that shows you how resilient we are as people in the City of Baker, but it's past us," said Baker mayor Darnell Waites.

"We are moving forward and we're going to pick it up. That's going to help us rebuild the whole city, that's going to create the growth, it's going to create a pass to get people back here. We're already building subdivisions, so it's working out so when the school is built, we'll be able to fill that school up."

In August, alumni, faculty, and staff celebrated the groundbreaking of the new high school.

Construction is expected to begin shortly after demolition is complete in October. They expect the school to be completed for the next school year.

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