Demolition on the old Lakeridge Middle School building began the afternoon of June 28 as a team from KD&S Environmental tore into the office structures and science building. District employees arrived early Tuesday morning to watch day two of the process.

“It was so exciting to see it happening, and to see the new school begin to emerge from the walls that were being torn down,” district Communications Director Ann Cook said.

According to Jonathan Bingham, project manager for Porter Brothers construction, the plan was to have the building down by this past Friday.

“The entire existing structure should be demolished by the end of the week,” he said June 30.

The new school building, still under construction by Porter Brothers, is adjacent to the original school. It is two stories tall and will provide students and staff with new desks, furniture and equipment. The original Lakeridge gymnasium will be kept and is in the process of being renovated to blend in with the new building, includ-ing new siding.

As part of their contract, the demolition company acquired the old furniture, the majority of which has already been sold for scrap to recoup operation costs.

A sculpture paid for with public funds and located in an open-air courtyard in the center of the building was returned to the state, according to Bingham.

KD&S was hired to perform a final asbestos abatement, unhook utilities to the building and finally to demolish the building and clean up the debris.

Most projects of this nature and scope last about three weeks, said Ryan Wilson of KD&S.

Community members stopped by during the day to watch the old middle school be torn down.

“It seems like it’s taken such a long time,” said Tami Barr, a Lakeridge parent and district employee. “My daughter just finished sixth grade and it seems like we’ve been going through it since the sixth grade initiation. We were walking through and they would say, ‘you can’t go down this hall,’ or ‘you can’t go into this room.’ But at least this school year she’ll have a brand new building to attend. It’s going to be a beautiful building compared to the old one.”

Principal Steve Fulkerson, who has been at Lakeridge for eight years, said he too was excited about the new building.

“It’s just going to be a nice benefit for the kids and the community,” he said.

Reporter Brian Beckley contributed to this story.