When Hartselle High School students, teachers and personnel leave for spring break March 22, it could be the last time they set foot in its current facility on Sparkman Street.

Hartselle School Superintendent Dr. Mike Reed said the new Hartselle High School will have its “significant completion” inspection with Northeast Region state inspector John Vandiver on March 26.

If it passes, students might return to classes on April 1 at the new campus on Bethel Road.

“All of the engineers on the project will accompany (Vandiver) during the inspection on March 26,” Reed told the Hartselle Board of Education in a work session Thursday. “They will be making punch lists of everything that needs to be completed, but the punch list will not prevent occupancy of the building.”

Reed said in a phone interview that Hartselle High School Principal Jeff Hyche informed teachers via email Thursday to be ready to begin school at the new campus on April. Once occupancy has been approved, the teachers could begin moving in to be ready for classes the following Monday.

Hank Quattlebaum, Director of Maintenance for Hartselle City Schools, said the engineers accompanying Vandiver not only includes engineers from architects Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood and Martin & Cobey, but it could also include engineers representing all the construction sub-contractors.

Reed said the April 1 move-in date would also help the school system with renovations of the Sparkman Street campus, which will be converted to the new Hartselle Junior High School.

Quattlebaum said he is still waiting on the architects plans to install new air-conditioning units. He is concerned that if those plans aren’t finalized soon, it could affect whether or not the school would be ready for the 2013-2014 school year.

“Those parts aren’t just laying around there waiting for us,” Quattlebaum said. “They’re going to have to be ordered and that could take up 12 weeks. So we need to get the plans quickly so we can send it out for bids.”

Quattlebaum said he didn’t want to begin cleaning and painting the building until those HVAC unit were installed. If he receives the plans by March 15, he believes that should be enough time for his office to review the plans and get it out for bids by early April.

The board could then award the contract by the end of April or early May.

Quattlebaum told the board that they will accept bids for the entire project with alternates for each win.

Board member Randy Sparkman asked if the board would have enough money to fund the entire project right now. Reed said the school system does have the money, but some of it would have to be taken out of reserves since there’s not adequate funding in the capital outlay fund.