LONE GROVE – School officials say the current administration building is bursting at the seams and it is time for it to serve another purpose.

According to Lone Grove School Superintendent Meri Jayne Miller, the facility located on the southwest corner of Highway 70 and Orchard Lane no longer has the capacity to house records, deliveries to the building can be difficult, and is not always easily accessible.

On Thursday, Feb. 6, over 80 subcontractor bids for proposed new administration building were opened. An estimated cost to build the new facility will be reported at a later date.

The new administration building will be paid for with monies left over from a 2016 bond approved for new construction, which has already been completed, and grant monies mainly from the Chickasaw Nation.

For several years, the Lone Grove school district’s long range plan has been to move all facilities to the Meridian Lane campus, located on the northeast corner of Highway 70 and Meridian Lane, where the high school and junior high buildings are located along with two gyms, a field house, weight room/saferoom, football field and the baseball/softball complex. 

Currently the administration building is part of a complex along with the intermediate school and primary school located in downtown Lone Grove on the south side of Highway 70. 

The new administration building will be southeast of the Gary Scott Center, or the high school gymnasium. Entry to the building will be through the parking lot on the south side of the gymnasium which allows plenty of room for deliveries and will be easily accessible for all visitors.