AXTELL, Neb. — The main entrance to Axtell Community Schools is no more.

It’s now sectioned off by chain link fence and soon will be under construction to see seven new classrooms added to the facility. It’s all a part of the district’s effort to grow the school’s footprint to match its growing enrollment.

“We were growing like crazy," Superintendent Rob Gregory said. "We had to add staff and we added staff to the point that we ran out of rooms. That’s soon to change.”

Superintendent Rob Gregory says the district just south of Kearney had 349 students last year, marking its largest enrollment ever. In response, the school board, led by president Kurt Behrhorst, put a nearly $5.5 million bond issue to voters in May. It passed 263 votes to 212.

“People in the community have seen all the new homes that have gone up and the growth of the students and our class size increasing," Behrhorst said. "They were very aware that we needed this and they were behind the project 100%.”

Beyond the seven classrooms, the project will create a new office area and a secure entrance on the south side of the school.

“Part of the safe entry idea is to have the main office and the front door corridor where anybody would have to check in to the main office,” Gregory said.

The promise of more space and added security made cause for celebration at Tuesday’s groundbreaking.

“Really, it’s been very cramped and very tight in a lot of places for the last couple years and this is going to allow us to grow and give them a lot of opportunities they may not have had otherwise,” Behrhorst said.

With construction now underway, school officials expect the project to take 12-15 months to be completed. If weather cooperates, it could be finished even sooner.