Volkert Inc., a Mobile-based construction management firm, has been chosen by the Morgan County Board of Education to oversee construction of the proposed new Priceville High School.

The decision was made at a board meeting on Nov. 13 following the recommendation of Superintendent Bill Hopkins.

Hopkins said five of six members of a selection committee preferred Volkert to two other firms, and the sixth member had Volkert second on his list.

“I’m pleased with the choice,” Hopkins stated. “I’m confident they’ll do us a good job for us.”

“We’ll give you a master budget and work closely with the architect to keep costs to a minimum,” said Phillip G. Russell, vice president of marketing for Volkert. “You’ll see a lot of us during construction and you’ll receive up-to-date progress reports at every meeting.”

Russell said his firm has managed the construction of over two billion square feet of school space, including the new James Clemens High School in Madison and a new middle school in Haleyville.

“We’re so proud to have an association with Morgan County Schools,” he added. “We look forward to working on a beautiful school, one that is finished on budget.”

Russell said he expects plans for the new school to be ready to put out for bids in about six months, with a 14-16 month construction phase to follow.

Hopkins said an environmental study of the school site should be competed this week. It will then go to the Priceville Planning Commission for approval, after which a deal for the school site will be closed.