The halls of the new Greenville High School are bustling with activity as employees feverishly work to prepare the building for the first day of school on Aug. 7.

Butler County Superintendent of Education Mike Reed said the state inspector was on campus most of Thursday giving the new school a final inspection.

"The school was deemed "substantially complete" by the inspector which means we are officially cleared to occupy it," Reed said. "The building is actually about 95 percent complete and all that is left to do are basic punch list items and general cleanup."

Reed said these "punch list" items include work such as paint touch up, hardware tightening,

installing a few floor tiles and other finishing details.

The largest items left to complete, however, will not be noticed by the students until after they are complete.

"The stage curtains for the auditorium are still being made and they won't be delivered for about three weeks," Reed said. "Once we have them here and get them hung, then we will be able to go in and install the stage lighting."

GHS Principal John Black and the staff of the school have been working all summer to move into the new building. Slowly but surely, he said, each department has been moved one by one and are now in place.

"We will be ready for the students," Black said. "It has been a lengthy and tiresome process, but it's done and we're excited about school started soon."

While contractors and school employees work on the inside, the City of Greenville Horticulture Department has been working to finish up some final landscaping before school starts. Grass, trees and bedding plants have all been put in place and the grounds are really starting to take shape.

A dedication ceremony has been planned for Monday, July 31, at 10 a.m. to officially open the school. Black and Reed both said anyone who is interested in getting a closer look at the new facility is encouraged to attend. GHS is located on Tiger Drive adjacent to Interstate 65. Butler County School System