Construction crews have fenced off Mississippi School of theArts’ Mary J. Lampton Auditorium to make extensive repairs to thehistoric structure and to prevent future damage, officialssaid.

“We have had continued moisture problems,” said Dr. VickiLambert, the school’s director. “We have discovered some missingmortar and some damage to the exterior brickwork that is allowingmoisture to seep through.”

The seepage has caused “significant damage” to the interiorplaster walls and they will also need to be repaired, she said.

Paul Jackson and Son Construction, of Brookhaven, undertook apreconstruction inspection of the roof Friday and work is expectedto begin soon, said Mike Ingle, who conducted the inspection.

The approximately $270,000 project will repair the exteriorbrickwork and interior plaster walls, properly seal the structureand paint the damaged interior walls and the entire exterior of theauditorium. The exterior painting of other historic structures onthe campus is also included, Lambert said.

“We’re very pleased about (Paul Jackson Construction doing thework) because of their history and good work on this campus,”Lambert said.

The construction is not expected to be completed before schoolstarts next month. Teachers begin reporting on campus Aug. 3, withstudents arriving two days later. Classes begin on Aug. 7.

The construction will prevent the school, as well as the public,from using the auditorium until the work is completed.

“We use it for all our performances, assemblies andproductions,” Lambert said. “But also, the public has been using itmore in the past year.”

The school will not be disrupted much by the work, however.Lambert said performances and productions are held later in theyear.