JOPLIN, Mo. -- Three years after its high school was destroyed by a tornado, the Joplin School District is preparing to move into a new one, according to its superintendent.
Hundreds of volunteers were to start moving equipment and supplies into the high school Monday, superintendent C.J. Huff told The Joplin Globe. Classes are scheduled to begin next Monday.
The school district received its temporary certificate of occupancy for the school Friday. The temporary certificate allows people to be in parts of the building, such as classroom wings and the cafeteria, that have cleared inspection while work continues in other sections, such as the performing arts area.
He said the district expects another occupancy certificate to be granted for the Franklin Technology Center portion next week. The district will eventually seek a permanent occupancy certificate for the new high school.
Huff said inspectors pinpointed some areas in the school that still need to be addressed, and the district is working to get the work finished quickly.
Inspections by Joplin officials and agencies, including the state fire marshal's office, have been ongoing for months, Huff said.
He said the reviews are a normal part of the construction process and that it isn't unusual to have issues needing to be addressed that were pointed out in an inspection.
The May 2011 tornado killed 161 people and devastated several Joplin schools, other parts of the city and the neighboring town of Duquesne.
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Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com
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