HERMON – The middle school renovation project is under way, and, although planning for the pending school year has added stress to officials, they remain optimistic.

All of the infrastructure is complete, including installation of a new sewer system, and paving the area is the next task, Ed Marsh, building committee chairman, said during Monday night’s school committee meeting.

“It will be a long 15 months, but we’ll have a nice facility come August 2007,” Superintendent Patricia Duran said during the meeting.

The projected completion date for the nearly $5.8 million construction project is August 2007. The renovations include bringing the facility up to fire and safety codes, installing a new sewer system, building an addition to house new music and art rooms and a gymnasium, and repainting most of the classrooms.

The possibilities of delaying the school year by a few days and using portable classrooms were discussed, but committee members were uncomfortable considering either option without more information.

Before making any decisions, members said, they wanted to know the cost and time involved in hooking up electricity and water to portable classrooms.

Rotation of classes as construction proceeds is one of the largest hurdles for school administrators. Newly hired middle school Principal James Russell Jr. said the classroom rotation was his top priority.

At this point, two of the fifth-grade classes will have permanent classrooms above the gymnasium, one that used to be the home economics classroom when it was part of the high school, the other a room where Boy Scouts used to meet, Russell said after the meeting.

The library has been relocated to the alternative education classroom, while the former library will house a classroom and the computer room, he said.

One of the largest projects pending is to renovate the restrooms, which Marsh said he hoped would be finished by October.

“Kids seem to adapt quicker than parents will,” Marsh said at the meeting.

“I know, I’m one of them,” he said, urging everyone to remain optimistic about the construction.