Lebanon schools near completion on multiple construction projects; student activity center groundbreaking set before May 20

Dr. John Milliman, superintendent of the Lebanon Community School Corporation, said several building projects will be finished in time for the 2025–26 school year, and other larger renovations are underway across the district.

“We will be complete with our Harney Elementary, Perryworth Elementary. The new Central Elementary will all be ready to go for the start of the 2025–26 school year,” Milliman said on the Love and Lebanon podcast. He said punch‑list work remains at the transportation center and that the district “fired up the bus wash for the first time last week.”

Why it matters: the projects change where students attend, how athletics and physical‑education programs operate, and how staff manage drop‑offs and building supervision. The construction aims to add capacity, modernize older spaces and provide new community assets.

Milliman said the student activity center next to the high school is moving from site preparation into active construction and that the district will hold “an official groundbreaking before the school board meeting on May 20.” He described the center’s planned features: three courts suitable for basketball and volleyball (with space to convert two courts to a tennis court), batting cages for softball and baseball, a three‑lane walking track and an observation space for band, competitive percussion and color‑guard programs.

On the transportation center, Milliman said the district is completing office punch‑list items and still needs work on maintenance bays and parts rooms. He called the bus wash activation “exciting” as a sign the facility is coming online.

The middle‑school renovation is a multi‑year project Milliman said will add two STEM classrooms, a new media center, a new cafeteria and new office spaces; he said the total project is planned to continue through fall 2027. At the high school, Milliman said work includes new football locker rooms, changes to the entryway on the football field side, a redesigned cafeteria and media center, study spaces and a reconfigured main office. He said athletic fixtures dating from the 1970s had not been updated in the 2010 renovations and needed modernization.

Milliman said elementary buildings will be in good condition “for the next few to several years,” and that Central Elementary and Perryworth were designed so rooms could be added if enrollment warrants it.

Discussion and near‑term effects included a small loss of parking near the activity center that may slightly increase walking distance for some graduation attendees; Milliman said the impact on the upcoming graduation should be “minor.” He also noted staff and families have been patient with temporary traffic and drop‑off changes during construction.

Clarifying details included: three courts and a three‑lane walking track at the activity center; batting cages and an observation space for band and percussion; the transportation center bus wash is operational; middle‑school work is a three‑year project running through fall 2027; Central and Perryworth were designed for potential classroom expansion.

The district’s timeline and next public milestone include the May 20 groundbreaking and the district moving some activities after the end of the school year. Milliman said some final moves and punch‑list items will continue over the summer.

“Now we’re not fighting for that gym space. We have students getting home earlier,” Milliman said, describing expected benefits for scheduling and student time at home.