NATCHEZ — Construction on Cathedral School’s new middle school building is continuing and expected to be complete by June despite delays in construction because of weather conditions.

The 14,500-square-foot building will house sixth- through eighth-grade students and will include eight classrooms as well as a state-of-the-art science lab.

Wilmar Construction Company project manager Mark Carter Jr. said construction crews have been delayed slightly since work began in late September because of weather.

“The weather hasn’t really cooperated with us as much as we would have liked, but that’s just something you can’t plan for,” Carter said. “Even with the delays, we’re still on schedule to finish by the first of June.”

Carter said construction crews are working to assemble the framework for the building’s roof, which is the last major portion of the project.

“Everything else should move pretty quickly after that is finished,” Carter said. “There will be some other things like putting brick veneer on the outside and some other stuff inside.

“After that, we’ll hand it over to the school administrators.”

Chief administrator and high school principal Pat Sanguinetti said he’s hoping to get the new building turned over to him as early as possible to make the transition for students easy.

“We were hoping to be in there by late April, so that way the students could be in there a few weeks before school got out, and we could see if there was anything we needed to change before the next school year started,” Sanguinetti said. “That lets you work out any of the kinks beforehand, but we’ll have to see what happens.”

The middle school building is part of a larger construction and remodeling project for Cathedral that also includes a new athletic facility, state-the-art science labs and refurbished restrooms campus-wide.

The goal of the campaign, which is titled, “Our Children, Our Tradition, Our Future,” is to provide the students with more science, technology, engineering and math programs.

The chemistry and biology labs, as well as two elementary bathrooms and two high school bathrooms, were completed last summer.

Sanguinetti said once the middle school building is complete, school administrators will turn their focus to the new athletic facility, which will be located near the softball fields.

“We’ll start drawing out some plans for that shortly after this building is finished,” Sanguinetti said. “That will be the next step for us.”

With students passing by the construction site of the middle school building each day going to and from classes, Sanguinetti said he’s looking forward to welcoming the next piece of Cathedral history.

“The best day will be the day we move in,” Sanguinetti said. “We know the kids are excited, and it’ll just be a great day for Cathedral.”