New Wheatley Elementary School construction takes shape

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County school being built to replace a deteriorated elementary school is going up quickly.
 
Channel 9's Karla Ray first reported on the deteriorating conditions inside Wheatley Elementary School in Apopka one year ago.
 
Since those reports aired, the Orange County School District fast-tracked a plan to rebuild at the site.
 
After months of construction crews working nearly around the clock the county's newest elementary school is taking shape.
 
"It's been very intense in terms of the construction hours. They've had to start work in the middle of the night," said school board member Christine Moore. "In the last week, all of a sudden we have walls coming up all over and steel and it's just an exciting day here at Phyllis Wheatley Elementary."
 
Channel 9 first exposed rodent droppings, rust and termites inside the 60-year-old school.
 
The old school was demolished last fall and the new $16 million building is scheduled to be completed before the next school semester.
 
Moore said that as the walls of the school go up, barriers are coming down in the south Apopka community that many residents feel was overlooked for years.
 
"It's something really new and special for this community because they've always had second best," said Moore.

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