The Straughn Elementary School addition will soon be a reality.

The Covington County School Board on Tuesday unanimously OK’d the solicitation of bids for the project.

Superintendent Shannon Driver said that all portable buildings have now been moved from the back portion of campus to their new location on the SES campus.

“We need to bid as fast as possible and have them in hand by the September meeting,” Driver said.

The board didn’t decide officially whether or not to equip the entire building or just the corridor as a safe room, but after the meeting board president Jimmy Rodgers said that he felt that is the direction the board is going to take.

Cost estimates for the project weren’t much different from making the building safe versus not making it safe.

McKee estimated the low-side of the costs could be from $1.6 million to $1.86 million.

The building is estimated to cost $1.3 million and $1.5 million for the 9,900 square foot facility.

The small storm shelter would add between $120,000 to $160,000 to the price and the whole facility would add an additional $140,000 on top of that.