GLASGOW — The construction of a Career and Technical Education facility and a new athletic complex at Barren County High School, tackled as one project, will be split into multiple stages that will allow the district to build the structures faster. 

The Barren County Schools Board of Education approved Thursday a measure allowing the superintendent to advertise for bids for the first phase of construction, though this decision must still be approved by the Kentucky Department of Education.

According to Craig Thomas of RGB Design, a subcontractor involved with the project, the first stage of the construction will include demolition of the current athletic complex, laying the groundwork for the building, which will house the CTE center and part of the complex, and rerouting its utilities.

To get the project done quickly, separating the construction into multiple phases is important, he said.

“It gets the project off and we don’t lose any of those valuable days in November and December, before we really get into the bad weather,” he said.

Superintendent Bo Matthews said the plan is to pay for the first phase out of the district’s general fund and reimburse the general fund with a bond sale that would be held as late as January.

The number of phases the project will have is currently unknown, he said.

“It’s a matter of, ‘Do you want to start the project in January or would you like to start in November?’ and we feel like financially we’re able to go ahead and start that work in November,” he said.

Assistant Superintendent Mark Wallace said it has yet to be decided when the district would start advertising for bids.

The CTE facility will expand the school’s educational capabilities, he said.

“Rather than building another wing onto the high school up there, we can go down the hill and create a facility that will meet college and career readiness needs,” he said.

The current athletic complex, meanwhile, is in need of replacement, Matthews said.

“It’s an opportunity to really remove a very aged and somewhat deteriorated athletic stadium there,” he said.

In another matter, the board also approved a contract with Premier Integrity Solutions for drug testing.

The district will soon begin a new policy of drug testing every new employee. According to Wallace, this idea came about when district officials were discussing random drug testing for students and teachers, which the district will not have any time soon.

“We felt … that the drug testing for new staff would be something that we would want to implement,” he said.

District School Nurse Rita Powell will be in charge of collecting samples, with Director of Transportation Chip Jenkins offering to fill in as an alternate, Wallace said. 

The district will begin this policy once Powell and Jenkins complete the necessary training for this new duty, he said, adding that this should be completed in early October.     

Employees who started working for the district this school year will not be retroactively tested, he said.

The board also went into closed session to discuss “proposed or pending litigation against or on behalf of a public agency.” Board chair Charlotte Beals said no action was taken and would not make any further comments. 

— Follow reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.