Sarnia's Maaten Construction has been awarded the tender for demolition and site preparation work at Great Lakes Secondary School.
The Lambton-Kent District School Board approved the application at its meeting on Tuesday.
Superintendent Brian McKay says Phase 1 of the project will get underway in the coming weeks and last two to three months.
"They're going to basically be doing site abatement," says McKay. "That includes removing ceiling tiles, old H-VAC equipment and duct work as well as prepping the site for the upcoming new addition and all of the renovation work. The total value of the contract is $1,033,000."
McKay says architects are currently working on the final drawings for phase two of the project which includes building an addition on the south side of the school.
Designs include construction of an auditorium, a First Nations community room as well as accessibility improvements.
The provincial government allocated capital funding of $10.3-million for the project, while the board will provide $5.7-million for a total investment of $16-million.
The board will tender phase two in late June and award the contract in July. Work is expected to fully wrap up by August 2018.