Out go the students, and in come the movers.

With the eighth-graders on their way to Moffat County High School, construction at Craig Middle School will quicken.

Starting today, the schools will begin swapping furniture and other equipment, school district construction liaison Joel Sheridan said.

"There's a lot of stuff happening," Sheridan said. "The technology staff will be disconnecting computers, and some will be moved, some will be stored."

Today, schools will be swapping out classrooms, and the administrative offices in the middle school will be closed.

Because of the restructuring, when Craig Intermediate School becomes an elementary school, fifth-grade furniture will need to be moved to the other elementary schools, and the sixth-grade furniture will be moved from CIS to the middle school.

"Expect to see significant changes in the next two to three weeks," Sheridan said. "Assuming the weather cooperates, it should be business as usual in front of CMS by the end of the summer."

The trailers around the campus will be removed, Sheridan said, and the staff will move into the new building.

The Neenan Company, the construction company building the school, will move into the last remaining trailer on the campus, which currently holds the administrative offices.

"That module will be used as a staging area," Sheridan said. "Everything else, except for the construction equipment, will be pulled out."

The remaining portion of the middle school, where the students currently are being housed, will be demolished in two to three weeks, Sheridan said.

The north wing, which will contain the auxiliary gym, locker rooms and art and music classrooms, will be the last portion of the new middle school to be completed.

The middle school will be finished when classes start in August, Sheridan said.

"Work will still be ongoing on the north end, but classes will still be held in the school," he said. "It might have to be a little makeshift until Christmas."

The intermediate school will require the most work, Sheridan said, but construction should be completed by the end of the summer.

The fifth-grade classrooms currently housed in the intermediate school will be moved to the other elementary schools, and swapped with third- and second-grade classrooms.

Details such as drinking fountains, furniture, countertops and other equipment will need to be changed to accommodate the younger students.

"The shelves need to be lowered in the library," Sheridan said. "And the books will need to be moved."

The playground also will need to be reconstructed for younger students at CIS.

Other work includes plumbing and security upgrades at the other elementary schools.

"We'll install double doors and security cameras," Sheridan said.

The upgrades at the other elementary schools should be completed by the end of July, Sheridan said.

The upgrades at the intermediate school, would take longer, Sheridan said, because of the amount of work.

"We're pushing for Aug. 15 or 20," Sheridan said. "But, that is the best case scenario.

"There's a lot of work to be done."

Ben Bulkeley can be reached at 875-1795 or bbulkeley@craigdailypress.com.