Expansion project makes headway

Progress continues on the expansion project at the high school.

Operations manager Wayne Larsen said the south end of the project ended up about a month behind schedule. They opened the auxiliary gym about the end of September. The gym seats 450. They have been using the gym for PE classes.

The south end of the project also includes additions to the locker rooms and a wrestling room that has enough room for two mats.

He noted that the new office area has been painted and the electrical wiring through the ceiling has been inspected. With the inspection passed, construction crews can begin dropping in the ceiling tiles in that are of the school. Larsen thought carpet would be going down in the office area next month.

The office area will include the secure entrance, reception area, principal and assistant principal offices, nurse’s office, conference room, storage room, supply room, file room for secure files, school resource officer office, activities director office, teacher workroom and a couple of smaller offices for future use.

The hall running north of the office and on the west side of the performing arts center has a built-in area for a trophy case for the arts. Once the ceiling tile gets installed in the hall, the instrument storage cabinets, that have arrived, can be installed.

Risers for the choir room have also arrived and are waiting in the hallway. They have started putting in the ceiling tiles in the vocal room, along with some cabinets.

“The music area we’re trying to get it finished the best that we can,” Larsen said.

A couple of practice rooms connect from the vocal room to the band room. The band room is a little bigger than what the school currently has, but will feel even bigger since instrument storage will not be in the room. 

“We’ve got a door to the outside so when they do they’re marching band stuff they can go out that way,” he said.

Right now the instrument storage cabinets are waiting in the black box theatre. The theatre room will have bleachers along one wall that seats around 125 and can fold up into the wall. The room can be used for one-act play, debate, dress rehearsals and more.

In the performing arts center, the balcony is poured and the electrical has been installed in that area. Under the balcony got poured last week. Larsen said they plan to have the concrete all poured in the PAC by the end of February. Winger Company has been doing more measurements for rigging.

Larsen said the seating for the PAC is supposed to arrive by the end of February. Once finished, the PAC will seat 1,200.

“We had originally hoped we could use this for our spring concerts, but it just isn’t going to happen,” he said.

Instead, everything will be ready by the start of the next school year.

The classroom wing is getting pretty close to being wrapped up too. They got the inspection done on the ceiling so they’re going to start putting in tiles. 

“Sometime around the first of February they’re going to start putting in carpet in the classrooms. We’ve got furniture coming in so we’re going to try and unload into the classroom s and just stack it in the middle,” Larsen said.

The science wing has more work to do. The area includes five science labs and three classrooms.

The classroom wing will have an upstairs where classrooms will eventually go in.

“We’re not intending to finish the upstairs. That will probably end up being a capital outlay expenditure down the road when we need it. It’ll be a duplicate of the downstairs,” Larsen said.