Workers were as busy as bees at Clanton schools on Friday, in the midst of several new construction projects and repairs.

Basketball goals already hang in the new Clanton Middle School gymnasium, which is about 65 percent complete. Meanwhile, at Clanton Elementary, a 12-classroom wing will replace portable classrooms, and a new pitched roof is intended to stop leaks in the oldest part of the school.

CES Principal Rebecca Threlkeld said 12 of the school’s 15 kindergarten units will be moving into the new wing, which could eliminate instruction in trailers.

“I’m disappointed that we will have to leave three kindergartens in the main building,” she said Friday. “It concerns me that those children will have to walk between the buildings for reading, but I’m still hoping we will be able to add four more classrooms.”

The wing is scheduled for completion near the end of November. Once complete, each classroom will include the latest in teaching technology, such as ceiling mounted projectors and motorized screens.

“They’re going to be beautiful classrooms equipped with storage and the tools that they need,” Threlkeld said.

A retro-fit metal roof is being built on top of the flat roof of Clanton Elementary’s older section, which dates back to the ’70s.

“Our roof has leaked for years,” Threlkeld said.

Down at Clanton Middle School, Principal Donny Finlayson estimates the gym will be finished before Christmas break. Once the roof is sealed in, the next stage will be the ceilings and drywall.

Finlayson thanked Threlkeld for allowing the school to use its gymnasium for sports practices, and he thanked Chilton County High School Principal Greg DeJarnett for use of their facility during home games.

“We’re looking forward to having our own facility,” Finlayson said.