Restructuring in full swing at Dothan Prep and Honeysuckle

The effects of restructuring can already be seen at a few Dothan City Schools.

Construction crews are at work getting them in shape, and faculty members are making sure everything is in order for moving.

"It's pretty cool to see the after effect after you've knocked down plenty of walls and they're wide open, then you see them put new walls back in - it's pretty cool,” said Art Remediation Lead Man Demarqus Traylor.

Demarqus Traylor has spent the last few weeks as part of the demolition team at Dothan Preparatory Academy.

While his squad tears things down inside, there's plenty going on outside - another crew is putting in a road behind the school for pick-up and drop-off.

It's still going to be a while before construction finishes at Dothan Prep and Dothan High, so the district is storing desks, chairs, cleaning equipment and everything else for all the schools at Honeysuckle Middle.

DCS Facilities Director Tim Holley explained that honeysuckle has kind of become a home base for the restructuring this summer.

"All this, the week of Wired will go out to the schools that will need additional desks and filing cabinets, because Dothan Prep and Dothan High School will need about 600 additional for the students they're going to take on this year,” said Holley.

Holley said Honeysuckle is getting its own renovation while holding furniture for the other schools - it will house the computer data base for the whole district as well as a preschool.

It's also supposed to host the central office...if there's enough room.

"The daycare is already filled up at this point, so we don't know if we might be expanding that at some point, but right now the plan is to move here if there's enough room for us,” said Holley.

It's a lot to do and a short summer, but Holley thinks the system is up to the challenge and will finish the major projects on time.

"We'll end up at Dothan Prep and here at Honeysuckle to be the last two to be completed,” said Holley. “They'll run up to the deadline, pretty sure of that."

Holley mentioned that the central office is in the middle of an 18 month lease at the Wells Fargo building, so if they can't move in to Honeysuckle right away, it isn't the end of the world.