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KEOKUK, IOWA -- Keokuk schools are undergoing major renovations.

The School District has launched a major capital improvement project on three of its buildings.

So after years of planning, consulting with the community and experts, the Keokuk School District is beginning an 18 month capital construction program that will involve the high school and two elementary school buildings.

At the high school, asbestos is being removed, new windows will eventually be installed and a geo thermal heating and cooling system will make the campus more green.

"At the elementary, we're adding six new classrooms to Hawthorne off the 3rd and 4th grade end. Redoing the library situation a little bit, so that's going to provide us the opportunity to go to two elementary schools which is going to be a huge economic cost savings in staffing," said Dr. Lora Wolff, superintendent of the Keokuk School District.

The district will also add a new boiler at George Washington Elementary. There is also some new sidewalks and a retaining wall that will be rebuilt. All of this being done without an increase to taxpayers.

"Aren't going to have to raise property taxes or do a bond for raising property taxes. We're using the one cent sales tax which is a state wide once cent sales tax divided up equitably across the state based on student enrollment. And so we're using all of those funds to do these projects," said Wolff.

And while the work is being done at the high school, the districts administrative offices have moved to the former Torrence Elementary School on Fulton Street.