The final piece of Oxford School District’s 2017 bond referendum will soon be under construction.

During Monday’s meeting, the OSD Board of Trustees accepted bids, which will allow work on the new Oxford High School baseball and softball complex to begin this year. The facility will cost about $5.2 million, but the total estimated cost of the project is around $6.7 million.

The new athletic fields are part of the $38 million bond that was voter-approved. Other projects constructed from the bond included the new Central Elementary School and the Fine Arts Building at OHS, among others.

“This is the final item in the capital improvement plan that was approved with the bond referendum,” said OSD superintendent Brian Harvey during the meeting. “This is the last one. So, excited about being able to do it. As a former baseball coach, I know it’ll be a fine complex for both baseball and softball.”

The Board approved bids from Eagle Golf & Athletics to construct the playing fields ($1,356,994), Advance Electric for the electrical work at the complex ($997,596) and DC Services for general works around the complex ($2,874,000).

Harvey asked the Board to approve the bids for the project on Monday and to authorize him to sign the contracts, pending attorney review, so that construction on the complex can begin as soon as possible.

“Bids came in for those packages actually lower than we thought,” Harvey said. “With construction costs going up on some items: steel, lumber, copper. We’re right on budget with the budget that was approved earlier. …If there are changes in pricing of the items because of the market, then we’re subject to the contractor saying, ‘We can’t move forward at that cost.'”

The fields will be constructed on the northeast side of Oxford High School’s campus. The current baseball and softball fields are located at Oxford Middle School and are on the east and west sides of Bobby Holcomb Field.