A parking lot project for the Knoxville High School athletic complex is expected to start in May.

The project is for paving of the gravel parking lot near the softball field and Randy Wilson Track, along with new lighting and a sidewalk that would connect the middle school sidewalk to the athletic complex. The school board held a public hearing for the project on Monday and a pre-bid meeting with contractors was held on Wednesday.

The district started working on the project about a year ago, but wanted to wait until now to move forward due to a more favorable environment for the bidding process, according to school business manager Craig Mobley. Superintendent Cassi Pearson says the goal is to start paving the lot immediately after the spring sports season.

“The timeline for paving that parking lot would commence the very last week of May as soon as our soccer season is done at Randy Wilson Track. We know there is going to be some inconvenience throughout the baseball and softball summer seasons but the hope is that everything will be completed before football season starts. We are so fortunate that the parking lot is used year round.”

The bid opening for the project will be February 5th.