By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— Projects within the Pelham City Schools system can begin come January after the board awards bids at its Dec. 7 meeting. The Board of Education discussed bids related to the labs and academies for Pelham High School and the site package for the Middle School project at a work session Dec. 2.

The lowest bid for the renovations to PHS’s science labs came in at about $1.5 million from Williford Orman Construction, a Pelham based company that also handled the renovations to the gymnasium.

“That’s good. I was impressed with them,” President Rick Rhoades said of the construction company.

This project includes rooms for the academies, science labs, a multi-handicapped area and roofing work over the lobby area of the gym.

Superintendent Dr. Scott Coefield said there were six bidders for the project and each bid came in fairly close. Once the Board of Education members approve the bid for the project, the renovations can begin in January.

Bidding for the new middle school’s site will begin Dec. 3. This will include preparing the site for construction and grading. Although the bidding process could take longer to determine, Coefield said it could be ready to vote on at the Dec. 7 meeting as well.

The Pelham Board of Education also discussed the new employee handbook. This handbook does not replace the Pelham’s policy manual. Members mainly discussed the lines of communication within the school system.

This section illustrates how employees should address problems they encounter, depicting who they should bring their concerns to. The members said this new policy gives employees a system to handle issues.