Warren County Public Schools’ board of education advanced a slew of construction and renovation projects Thursday, including plans to replace Cumberland Trace Elementary School, add an auxiliary gym at Greenwood High School and other pro-jects.

During the board’s monthly meeting, CMTA project manager Chad Riggs also gave an update on the district’s Guaranteed Energy Savings Project, which represents a $30 million investment in improving its energy systems.

“Today we’re about 82 percent” complete with the project, Riggs said. “So it’s going well.”

The project involves adding energy-efficient lighting to schools, underground geothermal heating and cooling systems and solar panels. More than 900 panels were installed at the new Jennings Creek Elementary School.

So far, after one year of construction, Riggs said the district has saved about $630,000. Once the project is completed, he said the district should see a savings of $830,000 a year.

Chris McIntyre, the district’s chief financial officer, previously told the Daily News that money will be used to pay off a $28 million bond for the project.

“This project allowed us to upgrade not only the lights but also the HVAC units,” McIntyre said Thursday, adding that new HVAC systems run more efficiently.

As it stands now, McIntyre said the district is hovering around 35,000 EUI, or kilowatts consumed per year based on square footage. The average school district in Kentucky consumes about 55,000 EUI, McIntyre said.

The remaining part of the project will focus on summer HVAC work at Warren East High School and Lost River Elementary School. It will also focus on developing an energy and educational dashboard for tracking energy use.

In other business Thursday, the board approved design documents for a project to replace Cumberland Trace Elementary School. The school, which will borrow from the design of Jennings Creek Elementary School, was recently approved to accommodate up to 750 students.

McIntyre said the next step is to start setting up the foundation for the school with a possible groundbreaking in March. “Hopefully by mid-March we’ll start seeing some earth moving over there,” he said.

More serious progress will likely be made over the summer, McIntyre said. He previously told the Daily News he expects the total project cost to be about $20 million and take 15 to 18 months to complete.

As it adds new facilities, the district is also looking to upgrade existing ones. The board on Thursday took the first steps in adding an auxiliary gym at Greenwood High School.

McIntyre expects the project to break ground this summer, followed by 12 to 14 months of construction. The facility would not only help accommodate athletics but could be used for graduation practice and other uses, he said.

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