Summertime renovations planned for high school

Construction includes science lab, bathroom improvements

Marta Hill

 

Junior Ryan Lee said when he thinks about renovation plans for Park, he feels they will benefit the school.  

“I think to be honest the renovations that are happening right now seem pretty common sense,” Lee said. “I feel like they are good decisions.”

According to Assistant Principal Kari Schwietering, the renovation plans are looking to start after June 30.

“(The school will) run summer school right after school is out and then our plan is to be done with summer programming at the end of June so (the construction workers) can start (renovating) right away July 1,” Schwietering said.

Schwietering said although the administration is waiting on a potential referendum, they are still starting some plans.

“There are some plans for a science room upstairs, in the A3 hallway, (the construction company) won’t complete it, but they are starting some plans,” Schwietering said. “There will be some pieces of just cleaning up the bathrooms, with paint and stuff like that. They had done a computer lab, with like rewiring and things like that.”

Lee said he believes the proposed renovations will strengthen the school overall.

“The image of the school will definitely improve from the bathrooms at least,” L

ee said. “Having a new science lab I think would be good to let people be able to do more and have a more interactive environment in the classroom. A computer lab would be very nice too, (because) sometimes teachers have to struggle to get a classroom available for computers.”

According to sophomore Claudia Stone, enhancing the bathrooms would benefit students throughout the day.

“I think that improving the bathrooms is a good idea,” Stone said. “(Having) paper towels in the bathrooms or dryers that actually work (will be beneficial) because then we don’t have wet hands all day. That would be very helpful to the students and the community.”

Schwietering said the goal of the science room is to have it be practical.

“(The science room will) be functioning and safe, it’s just that the cost of it and the scope of the project is so big that they can’t complete it in a summer and we can’t just go without having anything for the start of next year,” Schwietering said.

Schwietering said current renovations are minor compared to the construction plan that would be implemented if the referendum passes

“(If the referendum passes, there) will be a ton of different plans and a lot of different construction,” Schwietering said. “So right now it’s just pieces of trying to make sure, like if there’s things that are falling apart or things that need to be brought up to code or space issues that need to be renovated, those are the things that are happening here.”

According to science teacher Pat Hartman, the proposed construction will be very helpful, especially in the science department.

“I know we are going to get at least one new science room. That has nothing to do with the referendum, we are just getting a new science room.” Hartman said. “But from what I’ve seen with the referendum, it looks like (the district is)going to try to make some improvements to the high school, improving some places. It sounded like the two main things were the lunchroom and (maybe the) entry to the school.”

Schwietering said renovations are needed because the high school lacks sufficient space.

“If you go up to science they will tell you that we have been lacking a science classroom for a while. And so they have been sharing and kind of bouncing around for a number of years. And so, certainly we are making it work, and
it’s just we could do more if we are able to have that (extra room)” Schwietering said.

Hartman said although the renovation updates would be helpful, he wonders if they are truly necessary.

“I think there are a lot of updates that we could do, that are kind of superficial, to the hallways and stuff, like replace some of the old ex- outdated tile,” Hartman said. “I do wonder (why) some of the things that are being remodeled, that are going to be updated, were just remodeled last summer, so that kinda makes me wonder, is there waste in there?”

According to Schwietering, the school will finalize their renovation plans and begin improvements June 1.