Photo by Deb Gau Construction continues to make progress at the new Southview Elementary School site in Marshall. Marshall Public Schools staff said work including pouring concrete floors and putting in wall studs has made good progress inside the building, and brick work has begun on the outside of the building.

MARSHALL — Construction work in the Marshall Public Schools district continues to make progress, with some building projects either finished or nearing completion, and the new Southview Elementary School continuing to take shape.

“It seems like every time you go over there, something noticeable is done,” said MPS Business Services Director Dion Caron. Caron and other MPS officials said administrative staff and teachers are starting to tour the construction site to see the new school. Southview Elementary will serve students in grades 2-4. Construction is planned to be completed this summer, in time for the start of the 2021-22 school year.

Caron updated members of the Marshall School Board Monday night on construction of the new school, as well as projects at other Marshall schools.

Security updates at Marshall High School and MATEC are now finished, and a building expansion and renovations at Park Side Elementary are getting very close to completion, Caron said. The remaining work at Park Side is scheduled to be finished over the Christmas break.

“Hopefully, we’ll be close to 100% complete there,” Caron said. The Park Side project renovated the school’s main entry and front offices, as well as adding on classrooms and office space for early childhood education.

Over the past two weeks, a lot of progress has been made inside the new Southview Elementary School, now that the structure is enclosed.

“They’ve poured, I want to say, 90% of the cement floors,” Caron said. He said crews had also installed steel studs for interior walls in the lower level of the building. Other work on the building over the past couple of weeks included starting the installation of HVAC units, putting in the roof in the school’s gym, kitchen and administrative areas, and installing brick on the outside of the building.

Caron and Marshall Superintendent Jeremy Williams said MPS staff are getting chances to tour the new school building. Administrative staff recently toured the construction site, and Williams said today small groups of teachers from West Side Elementary will be going to the new school site for tours.