It’s been a quiet summer for construction projects in the Jamestown Public Schools District.

That won’t be the case next year.

Persell Middle School got the most attention over this summer, according to Dr. Kevin Whitaker, district superintendent, and that work will have been completed by the time school begins in September.

“We had a couple of inside-the-wall projects over at Persell,,” Whitaker said. “We did some heating stuff and we installed some unit ventilators and shut off some … either 70- or 100-year-old, heating and plumbing systems that were end-of-life. That speaks to the quality of both the craftsmanship and the workmanship of those who installed it so so long ago. Other than that it’s been relatively calm.”

Work on the $86.5 million capital project approved by district voters in May will begin in earnest next year.

More than half ($44,736,000) of the overall proposed project being spent at Jamestown High School while work will also be done at Persell Middle School, Fletcher Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, Ring Elementary School, Tech Academy and the district bus garage. There will also be district-wide information technology upgrades at all Jamestown schools.

Improvements at Jamestown High School could include an upgrade to the school auditorium, creation of a secure vestibule at the main entrance, upgrades to the old gym, cafeteria and kitchen renovations and work on the school’s pool, among others. The building would also get a new roof and new windows. Persell Middle School would also get a new roof and windows as well as auditorium improvements, improvements to the gym and locker rooms, work in two music rooms and restroom improvements.

There would also be a slew of improvements to the building’s mechanical systems. Fletcher Elementary would see masonry work, a new roof, work to deal with a water issue in the school cafeteria, mechanical and plumbing work. Ring Elementary would get new exterior doors, masonry work, windows, building interior work including work to the school auditorium, and a host of mechanical improvements.

“The big stuff from the new project, all that stuff has to go through the state,” Whitaker said. “We have to get the financial approvals and then go through the engineering approval and, as I understand it, the engineering folks have from a department of four to a department of two, and I heard that one was on vacation or a long-term leave.”

Right now, the district is working its way through the various required state approvals so that some work can begin during upcoming school vacations. District officials have been meeting with the project’s construction manager to set specific timelines and to connect with subcontractors to set work schedules. That work should be wrapping up sometime this fall.

“We’re looking at something like next spring, maybe we would start seeing stuff that looks like construction — trucks and things like that,” Whitaker said. “Over break there’s going to be work on things like telephones and some of the computer network stuff, but that’s going to be over our school breaks in either December or February or April and then the construction stuff will start.”