HANAHAN, S.C. (WCBD) -- Berkeley County leaders gathered Monday morning to break ground on what will become the new Hanahan Middle School. The $43 million upgrade will see the 133,000-square-foot school provide a modern functional space for students. Official estimates are that the school will accommodate about 11,000 students, and the renovations include new construction as well as upgrades to preexisting facilities. "We want to be good stewards of our taxpayer dollars, and we wanted to maximize the use of the land, the area, so we had to be very creative to ensure that we could keep some parts of the school project that are still functional for students to use," said Dr. Anthony Dixon, Berkeley County School District Superintendent. Dr. Dixon also explained that if the district had torn down the school, it would have cost around $100 million, so the current renovation project saves about $57 million in taxpayer money. The entire project has been underway for about a year, and about 83,000 square feet have been added to the school. Dr. Dixon said community relations between the city and the school district have been positive. The new building that was the subject of today's groundbreaking will house classrooms for 6th to 8th grade, including new 8th-grade science wings, a computer lab, health classrooms, and a full-size gym. ...read more read less