KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — Contractor bids for the overhaul of the Buck Van Huss Dome are set to open on Sept. 13, according to Kingsport City Schools (KCS).

News Channel 11 spoke with KCS Assistant Superintendent Andy True, who said the school system is speaking with contractors ahead of opening bids, which will determine which company will take on the construction project.

“Trying to give contractors a long time to kind of work through the bid specs and come up with what their bid would be for the actual project,” True said. “Right now, we are answering questions from contractors and trying to get clarification to them so they can put together those bids.”

Kingsport previously approved sub-contractor Dome Technologies to design a new plan for the dome in July. That company is tasked with drawing up design plans for the selected contractor to carry out.

“That’s a very specialized design and engineering process that is not common, and so we had been working with a company out of Idaho, Dome Technologies, who is pretty much nationally known as experts in that type of dome structure,” True said. “So, when it comes to the engineering and the repair, renovation to the actual structure, Dome Technologies will do that stuff.”

True said once contractor bids open up on Sept. 13, the school system hopes to make its decision during a special called session on Sept. 26. After the school system’s approval, the decision will go to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for final approval.

True told News Channel 11 that there is no current estimated cost of repairs to the dome’s structure and its gymnasium, seating, scoreboard and floors.

“A new gym floor, a new scoreboard, some safety improvements to the outer area and coming into the activities office there, and some of the lower spaces around the locker rooms,” True said. “So it’s a much bigger project than just the dome itself, there’s a lot of individual pieces to it that, while we are doing that [repairing the dome], is the time to swap out seats and floors.”

The Buck Van Huss Dome will remain closed to the public until the overhaul is complete.