Bowling Green High School is ready to accept bids for phase one renovations that will begin overhauling its aging facilities and design this summer.

The Bowling Green Independent School District’s board of education approved a decision during a meeting Monday to begin advertising for bids. The decision is pending approval from the Kentucky Department of Education.

“We feel like we’re in good shape,” Kevin Locke with Ross Tarrant Architects said of the project’s cost estimates.

The project’s first phase will focus on building an L-shaped wing on the school’s east side around the natatorium. That wing will contain most of the school’s classroom space and use temporary connectors to provide access to the older parts of the school.

Workers will need to begin in May by digging 25-foot wide trenches to install utilities adjacent to the school’s football field. The plan is to start that work after high school graduation.

Early site work is expected to cost roughly $1.2 million. The broader phase one project is estimated to cost $18.4 million for a base bid, Locke said.

Total construction cost for the project was projected at $22.5 million. That means the high school could have nearly $3 million left over for a kitchen and other separate projects.

The first phase to build the classroom wing is expected to take 18 to 19 months to complete.

In a later phase, the wing will be fleshed out to encircle the natatorium, which will be converted into a courtyard. The second phase is expected to begin in the next several years based on available funding.

Locke said the plan is to put out a bid package in early May to allow enough time for work to begin on the early site work after graduation.

– Follow education reporter Aaron Mudd on Twitter @BGDN_edbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.