LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Lunchtime chats can typically be all over the map for elementary school students. The topics may range from whether or not a student likes the pizza being serving, to their latest book report, to the plot of "Avengers: Endgame."
But on Thursday, Anna and Alivia Lomons, twins who attend second grade at Lincoln Trail Elementary School, stayed on the same subject.
"We can have more books and a bigger library and more computers!" Alivia said.
"More tables and chairs and we can do drama in a bigger space!" Anna added.
The second grade sisters were happy to talk about their expectations after they helped break ground on a new elementary school. Hardin County Public Schools broke ground on two new school buildings Thursday, buildings that will replace campuses built in the 1950s and 1960s.
.@HardinCoSchools breaking ground today on new Lincoln Trail elementary and new East Hardin middle school. about $45 million dollar projects combine set to be complete in 2020. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/2yBcBz040h
— Gilbert Corsey (@gcorsey) May 9, 2019
The new school is being built about a mile south of the old Lincoln Trail Elementary School at a huge 47-acre site, and they're already starting the construction by clearing land and testing soil.
About 10 miles away, Hardin County officials also turned dirt to mark the start of construction on a new East Hardin Middle School campus.
"There's actually going to be a slide from the second floor to the first floor," said Billy Parson, the construction manager at Alliance Corporation.
The two projects mark a combined taxpayer investment of about $45 million. The elementary school is slated to open in August 2020, and the middle school in December of the same year.
"We try to do what we feel is in the best interest of our community," Hardin County Schools Superintendent Terrie Morgan said.
Stress surrounds the next big decision.
A local planning committee has recommended turning Cecilia Valley Elementary School into a pre-school through eighth grade campus and merging in students from West Hardin Middle School.
"I'm emotional, and I'm concerned about it," one parent said.
The plan still does not address declining elementary enrollment in the county's rural schools. The school board is set to vote next Thursday.
"They will have to look at the trend data and make the best decision, whether to accept the district facility plan or ask them to take another look," Morgan said.
The decision impacts where hundreds of kids will go to school.
The Hardin County School Board is set to vote on the facilities plan at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Performing Arts Center at John Hardin High School.
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