When junior Tjessa Arradondo signed up for synchronized swimming this season, she said she was not aware the locker room would be unavailable.

“There was a part of the locker room that was all for synchro that we would decorate, and now the feel of the synchro locker room is gone,” Arradondo said.

According to Arradondo, the synchronized swimming team is facing the toll of alternating practices at Park Spanish Immersion (PSI) and the middle school.

“We can’t really walk in the hallways when we’re wet and in our suits, so we need to coordinate going between the PSI and middle school pools. We have a morning practice at PSI, and then go to school. Sometimes we need to add to practice time because of going to other pools,” Arradondo said.

This renovation is affecting the hallway in other ways. According to park facilities manager Thomas Bravo, a temporary wall was put up in the hallway to give construction workers space and protect students.

Bravo said the hallways should not be a problem in the future, and the renovation is necessary.

“When the project is done, the hallways will go back to their normal width. (The locker rooms) haven’t been touched in 15-plus years — they’re outdated,” Bravo said.

Arradondo said she didn’t feel the locker rooms needed a renovation.

“It was fine the way it was except for the showers, but this is what the school decided to do, so I’m OK with it,” Arradondo said.

Senior Emmett Foner, a member of the track team, said he thinks the locker rooms needed a lot of work.

“The boys’ locker room was starting to smell, and the interior wasn’t clean,” Foner said. “If you think about all the sweat and things people throw in their lockers, it was just rotting every day.”

According to Foner, this renovation doesn’t have much of an impact on the track team.

“The main thing is that we haven’t been able to keep our backpacks in there, so what we did instead was change in the bathroom and keep our backpacks in our school lockers,” Foner said.

Bravo said re-doing the locker rooms will be beneficial to students and help with privacy.

“(The new locker rooms) will have single upgraded shower stalls and areas for physical education and for sports activities,” Bravo said. “It’s going to be more modernized with single-stall bathrooms, and lockers will be brand new to conform to the needs of the students. We are going to make it look like something more inviting that kids feel proud to be in.”

According to Bravo, the locker room renovation began March 11 and will be completed by the beginning of fall sports in August.