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The new wing is expected to open by the start of the 2014-2015 school year. It will contain eight chemistry/biology labs, four physics/life science labs, window benches, two workrooms, a faculty bathroom and four student bathrooms.
Armand Quadrini of KSQ Architects, the firm hired to design the expansion, said the district should explore removing four modular classrooms as soon as construction begins. The original plan was to stage around the modular classrooms. The cost and safety efforts can be greatly reduced if the classrooms are removed, said Quadrini.
“This is not a heavy lift. Interior classroom reconstruction will complete easily in the summer,” he added.
To replace the modular classrooms, four additional classrooms will be created in the existing building for the 2013-14 school year. This will be done by partially remodeling two existing science classrooms, temporarily reclaiming the math-science office and temporarily increasing capacity of existing classrooms to schedule one additional class.
A $16 million bond referendum voters approved last spring will go toward funding the project. Construction is expected to begin in late spring. Specific blackout days for construction will be created in coordination with all testing dates in the gym and in the modular classrooms.
“We want to refine this as much as we can before it’s incorporated into the bid documents in the spring,” said board member Kathleen Ryan. “ … This is not a next-year thing, this is a this-year thing.”
For more information on the plan from KSQ, check out the firm’s presentation in January and initial presentation in October.
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