The $37 million revitalization project at Littlewood Elementary School reached the highest point of construction on Thursday, reason enough for Alachua County Public Schools officials and the construction crew to celebrate at the site with “thank you’s” barbecue from a local food truck.
The highest point of construction marks the halfway point in construction. For the past six months, Littlewood Elementary students have been attending classes in portable classrooms. These classrooms are located at Westwood Middle School’s campus which is less than a mile away from Littlewood.
Tina Certain, Alachua County Public Schools board member, said the cooperation of teachers and staff played a big role in making things go smoothly for the transitional period during construction.
“This is our third time using the portable classroom campus for other schools, including Howard Bishop and Westwood for accommodation, and it has been successful every time,” Certain said.
The building process started after the last day of school in 2024 to get construction and plans started as soon as possible. Parrish McCall, the construction company in charge of the project, helped to remove everything in the classrooms and buildings to start with the first steps of upgrading the school.
Littlewood’s construction project was different from others because the school was renovating and also starting from scratch on other buildings, said Alachua County Public Schools communication director, Jackie Johnson. Unlike standard school renovations, this project required approval from the state due to the extent of the changes.
“You have to get permission from the state to knock down any school buildings,” Johnson said. “So we were able to get clearance to knock down half the buildings on this campus.”
The elementary school will now feature a brand-new one-story and two-story building, while the rest of the buildings and classrooms are being renovated with more modern features.
“...a facility that is much more engaging and that's more modern, and I believe it's going to be a wonderful place for teachers to teach and students to learn,” Johnson said.
Construction is expected to be completed this year so the school can open in time for the 2025-2026 school year. Littlewood’s principal, Justin Russell, said he is excited to get the year started on the new campus.
“Clearly, buildings don't build themselves, and I thank you to all the people for making this project possible,” Russell said.