The Clark County Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved funding Tuesday night for the construction of an athletic complex at George Rogers Clark High School, including an interim contract to allow the general contractor to begin work as soon as possible.

The board approved bids for the project, including all alternates, for a total of $21.3 million. with additional costs such as architect, engineer and construction manager fees, special inspections and other elements of a building project, the total cost comes to $25.2 million.

The project will primarily be funded through the sale of more than $19 million in bonds the board approved during the same meeting, in addition to nearly $6 million in district funds set aside for the project.

The general contractor for the project will be Rising Sun Developing. Board members additionally signed an interim contract with Rising Sun to allow the company to begin work before the final bond sale is completed, allowing the project to begin several weeks earlier than it otherwise would in an attempt to make progress before potentially work-prohibitive winter weather arrives.

The scope of the project will include the addition of a competition gymnasium to the existing high school, a football stadium with both home and visitor seating and tennis courts.

Additionally, the contractor will complete grading on the rest of the high school’s property to reduce costs and facilitate the construction of other athletics facilities, like a baseball field, softball field and field house, in the future.