Deer Park School District officials hope to begin remodeling the high school by September.

Representatives from NAC Architecture explained the construction timeline before the school board approved the design development plan on Wednesday.

NAC’s Randy Wilson said his firm has tried to meet all the construction recommendations made by the school staff and hopes to have bid documents ready by June.

“We think we are in good shape,” he said.

Since starting the design process, NAC officials have added 6,000 square feet of new construction, including another classroom and science laboratory.

All bid documents must be approved by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction before they can be advertised.

The school district plans to advertise for bids later in the summer and construction to begin after the start of school.

The first phase of the $40 million project includes installation of additional water and sewer lines and the bulk of the new construction, including the auxiliary gymnasium and new classrooms.

Steve McNutt of NAC said tackling the new construction right away will limit the need for portable classrooms in the second year of the project.

Superintendent Mick Miller acknowledged that the second year of construction, which will center around remodeling the current high school, will create the most disruptions for students.

“We’re pressing the envelope a little bit,” said NAC’s Keith Comes on the estimated cost of the project as it relates to the available funds.

He, however, is optimistic that the cost of building supplies will remain moderate and expects the surplus to grow to about $4 million with additional cost reductions.