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Steamboat Springs — Construction at South Routt schools may look like a mess, but the summer projects were "97 percent" complete Friday and due to finish up in time for the first school bells to ring Thursday, Superintendent Scott Mader said.

"About a week ago, if I'd taken a parent or community member through here, they wouldn't have believed me. They would've said, 'There's no way you can start school next week,'" Mader said.

McKinstry Construction has been at work this summer installing the district's state-of-the-art biomass boilers, geothermal heating system and new lighting as part of a $4.1 million energy efficiency revamp at South Routt School District facilities. The funding comes from state grants and a $1.57 million bond issue voters approved last November.

All that remains to be done is a few pressure checks at the high school and middle school campus, then the ceiling tiles will go back up, Mader said. After some carpet shampooing and cleaning up all the dust during the weekend, the campuses will be ready for district and teacher meetings next week leading up to the first day of class.

"It's coming together," Mader said. "They are on track, and things are looking very good."

Teachers will be briefed next week on what to expect from any continuing work the project requires, which is expected to be minimal.

"There's going to be some loose ends that they'll be tying up," Mader said.

Back to School Night on Tuesday is high schoolers' last chance to register for their classes, Soroco High School office manager Sylvia Teters said. Some students participated in pre-registration last spring, Teters said.

Students can pick up their final schedules on Thursday morning, the first day of school.

- To reach Melinda Dudley, call 871-4203

or e-mail mdudley@steamboatpilot.com