By Kelly Cantrall

The cloud of construction has cleared at Radcliff Elementary School.

The substantial completion date for the renovation of Radcliff Elementary is scheduled for Friday November 25th, but most of the tell-tale signs of construction were gone Monday.

Renovation of the school began at the beginning of 2010, with the majority of the interior complete when school began for the 2010-11 school year. In the second phase of the project, the exterior of the building was renovated along with the gym, library and cafeteria.

Now there are just “odds and ends” left to complete, Principal Joan Cooke said.

Parents and staff have been working around a construction zone since the beginning of the year. Cooke said their first priority was parent convenience, and she said they’ve been very understanding of the work.

“It just required people to be flexible,” Cooke said.

There were several delays in acquiring construction materials for the cafeteria, which was originally slated to be finished by mid-September. It was completed right before fall break in October. The school used the gym and had food brought in, and once the cafeteria was finished, the gym renovation began. It was finished Friday.

Cooke said everyone has been pleased with the project.

“I don’t think I ever expected it to look as complete as it does,” she said, adding that now it looks as if it’s always appeared this way.

The building was renovated after Radcliff Middle School closed and moved into a new building, becoming North Middle School. The first through fifth grades of Parkway Elementary School moved into the vacated building, now dubbed Radcliff Elementary.

The empty Parkway building transformed into North Park Elementary School, and houses the preschool and kindergarten classes for Radcliff, Meadow View, Woodland and Vine Grove elementary districts.