As the sounds of class bells and turning pages leave the hallsof the Brookhaven School District, the noises of construction willtake their places this summer after the school board approvedseveral renovations during their meeting Tuesday.

A large construction site will take place on the roof of LipseyMiddle School.

The school will repair the damaged roofs of the school’s gym, bandhall and fifth-grade wing. The renovations are expected to total$188,181 and will be funded through the interest acquired throughSection 16 land.

“We have some soft spots in the roof and the architect felt itcould be dangerous, so we’re going to go ahead and replace it,”said Assistant Superintendent James Tillman. “Safety for thechildren, that’s what it’s all about.”

The project is expected to begin in about two or three weeks andschool officials hope the construction will be finished before thestart of the new school year.

Fixing the roofs at Lipsey was in the agenda last year, but thehigh construction costs and budget restraints caused officials toput the project on hold.

“It wasn’t quite as bad last year as it is now,” Tillman said ofthe roofs’ conditions.

Athletes running on the school district’s track might get a littlequicker after it receives an overhaul this summer.

The board accepted a bid from GEO Pave for $212,715 to repair andrenovate the track, which in its current state does not allow theschool district to host track meets.

“It’s worn out,” said Tillman. “It has to be replaced.”

The work is scheduled to begin during the first two weeks in Juneand finish before school resumes.

The school board also began preparing for the upcoming school yearby taking care of some annual items on the agenda.

The board approved the advertisement for a public hearing of thedistrict’s budget for the 2011 to 2012 school year. The publichearing will be at the next board meeting on June 21 at 6p.m.

With the school year winding down, Superintendent Dr. LisaKarmacharya has been enjoying an eventful last week of school byvisiting various functions and participating in differentactivities.

Karmacharya said she signed high school diplomas for the firsttime, which she mentioned gave her chill bumps to think her namewill be forever inked on someone’s diploma.

“It was a great feeling that this time next year I’ll know so manymore names,” she said.