Roof work is wrapping up at Jemison High School and about to begin at Maplesville High School.

The projects are part of an effort to upgrade facilities at Chilton County schools.

Maintenance Supervisor Freddy Smith said a crew is cleaning up at Jemison High School, and workers have begun preliminary tasks at Maplesville, such as bringing in equipment.

Metral retro-fit roofs are being installed at the schools by Steel Built Incorporated, which was awarded a bid for the work.

The budget for the Jemison project was about $820,000, and the Chilton County Board of Education later approved an added expense of $65,000 for roofing work on four canopies at the school.

“I think the people of the community will appreciate that,” Smith said.

The budget for the Maplesville project is $660,000.

Superintendent of Education Tommy Glasscock said the funds for the work came from a 2008 capital outlay that had be used on capital improvements or forfeited.

Chilton County High School was the first local school to receive a new roof. That project was completed before Smith’s tenure began in spring 2015.

“That project was completed and looks good,” Smith said. “There were a few little hiccups, but they’ve all been taken care of.”

The Jemison project began in September 2015.

The metal roof was installed over the top of the existing roof over most of the school.

Some areas, including the roof over the cafeteria, could not have a roof placed over the top of the existing structure because of the presence of exhaust fans and air conditioning system components.

Instead, new rubberized strip roofing was installed.

The Maplesville project will be much the same as the Jemison project—with one notable exception.

Plans called for the Jemison roof to match the existing roof on Alton Cobb Gymnasium.

The same approach will be used at Maplesville, and the roof will be slate gray with a colonial red trim to match the gymnasium.

Smith said the roofing projects are an important first step in upgrading the county’s school facilities.

“When I took this job, my priority was trying to make the infrastructures in the county as solid as possible, and the first thing you have to do is keep the rain off their heads,” he said.