LEWIS CITY, OH The Olentangy Local School District Board of Education joins together with district administrators, Gilbane Building Company and their honored guests to officially break ground on the district's fourth high school building.

The ceremony was held at the future site of the yet-to-be named high school located along Berlin Station Road, east of Gregory Road in Berlin Township, Ohio. During the ceremony, Olentangy Local Schools Superintendent Mark T. Raiff and District Treasurer Brian Kern joined the Olentangy Local Schools Board and honored guests in a symbolic turning of soil.

"As we begin to embark on the building and opening of this new, state-of-the-art facility, we will face both exciting milestones and challenging times as we prepare to select the leaders of the school, the building's name, the colors, the mascot," Superintendent Raiff said. "And most importantly, we will select the students who will attend this school, build its own unique traditions and establish yet another school community that will excel."

Gilbane was selected as the construction manager for this new, 303,000-square-foot high school that will ease the overpopulation of the three current high schools, which have exceeded their 1,600-student capacity. Projections have shown that by the 2018 school year, the three high schools, designed for a total of 4,800 students, will hold 6,600 students. In addition to the new high school, the scope of work will include all of the necessary athletic fields required for practice and competition. 

"The Gilbane team is excited for the opportunity to partner with Olentangy Local School District on the construction of their new high school," said Bob Sewell, Vice President and Principal in Charge. "Gilbane has many team members that call the Olentangy District their home, and we are very proud to be part of the team."

Construction of the new school is expected to be complete during the summer of 2018, in time for its opening at the start of the 2018-2019 school year. Prior to the opening, the district will review its current attendance boundaries to determine who will be assigned to the new high school. That process is expected to occur during the 2016-2017 school year.