By Glenn Rolfe

GEORGETOWN – Beaming with anticipation, Indian River School District officials Oct. 13 will frame a milestone juncture in the construction of the new Howard T. Ennis School.

District and state officials will celebrate the completion of the frame of the new 95,000-square-foot facility with the signing of the last steel beam before it is welded into place.

The approximate $45 million school, 100% covered by state funding, will continue Howard T. Ennis’ role in providing educational services to students, preschool (starting at age 2) through 21 years old with significant disabilities. Home of the Ennis Eagles, the Ennis School serves students in the IRSD and sending districts in Sussex County.

The beam signing ceremony is set for 9 a.m. at the Patriots Way school site across from the current Sussex Central High School.

Groundbreaking was held Nov. 20, 2020. The new school is scheduled for substantial completion in the summer of 2022.

It is scheduled to open for students in September of 2022, replacing the current Ennis School, built some five decades ago on Ennis Road in Georgetown on land donated to the IRSD from Delaware Technical Community College trustees in December 1969.

The new Ennis School will be more than double the size of the current 45,626-square-foot facility.

The new school is being built on 32.5 acres on the east side of Patriots Way. The land was transferred from the state and Department of Health & Social Services to the Indian River district.

Plans for the facility include a therapy pool, greenhouse, playground, gymnasium, multiple therapy rooms for speech, occupational, and physical therapy, nursing suite and parking.

The project has been awarded $49,676,500 in state funding.

“We have got to stay within that,” said IRSD Supervisor of Building and Grounds Joe Booth.

Several bid packages have yet to be put out, including one covering information technology.

“The reason why we waited on IT and all that stuff is because they always come out with the latest/greatest,” Mr. Booth said. “So, there was no sense in bidding it out last November when it’s not going in for a year and a half.”