Amherst County School District officials told the School Board the new high school is substantially complete but the district will postpone the previously planned May 31 grand opening because interior finish work and punch-list items remain.

Director of facilities Mister Roach and Superintendent Doctor Wells said subcontractor issues — including short electrical cable runs, final HVAC and lighting adjustments, and an unexpected reaction that left patterning on a newly poured auditorium floor — have required additional work. Roach described crews moving serving lines into the old gym on short notice so students could receive meals while kitchen renovation continued.

Roach showed trustees photographs of work in progress: parking-curb and gutter installation, sidewalk placement, cafeteria finishes and stage lighting tests. He said seating frames for the auditorium have been delivered and chairs are on site, but installers paused work while crews re-stained and retreated sections of the auditorium floor to remove tape and stain marks.

The district said the contractor’s schedule is within the contract window and that liquidated damages are included in the contract, though staff said they are not at the point of assessing damages. Trustees asked for the contract completion date; staff agreed to provide the formal contractual date and to continue updating the board.

Superintendent Wells said the district will select a new ribbon‑cutting date after confirming the remaining work, and indicated the ceremony will likely fall in June or early July, coordinated with trustees’ schedules.

Ending: Construction remains in a late punch-list phase; staff will notify the board when a firm completion date is confirmed and will continue to brief trustees on major remaining items such as final kitchen hoods, classroom masonry and auditorium finishes.