By MATT LINDSEY

POTSDAM — As Potsdam Central School begins the process of hiring two new principals at the high school and elementary schools, the final touches are being done as part of an $18 million capital project.

Ads are being sent out in the search for two principals to permanently fill positions in the high school and elementary school, according to Potsdam Central Superintendent Joann Chambers.

The search will run from Feb. 15 through March 15.

The board appointed Julie Welch as an interim elementary principal in October and she started Nov. 2 replacing Shannon Pitcher-Boyea of Malone who stepped down Oct. 26 from the permanent position she was appointed to earlier this year. Pitcher-Boyea had replaced former principal Larry Jenne who retired from the school last spring.

Wayne Walbridge took over the interim principal position at the elementary school after Christmas. He is an administrator who retired as superintendent in Malone.

Dean of Students Mark Wilson started as interim high school principal Jan. 4 and will assume the role until the position is filled, Chambers said.

“Being that we have has experienced administrators, things are going really well,” Chambers said.

The school expects to fill the positions this spring.

Work began last week to completely renovate the nurse’s office in the elementary school and should be completed sometime in February, Chambers said.

“We are in the final stages, contractors are working on punch list items,” Chambers said.

Contractors are combining two rooms into one, which will make it more efficient for the nurse, Chambers said.

The final major change will be new carpeting to three separate parts of the school.

“We came in under budget for the project and were able to add this extra work,” she said.

The middle school library will receive new carpeting first, followed by the high school library and finally the band room. Work is expected to begin around winter break in February.

“I hate to set a date but we should have things wrapped up in the next few months,” Chambers said.

The capital project included major renovations including new exterior wall paneling at the high school, replacement of the heating system and new roofs. Construction began in the spring of 2014.

Work continues to be done to the boilers in the high school as contractors try to figure out why they have not been clicking on correctly.

“This has been on-going…but we have never been without heat or anything like that,” she said.