Construction Update

Overview & Description of Projects | Recent Construction Photos
Floor Plans for Expansion & Renovation Projects

Progress of the Addition and Renovation Project - December 2007

Overview & Description of Projects

In December of 2005, our communities approved funding for additions and renovations to both the high school and the middle school to accommodate rising enrollment and improve our instructional programs. The district applied for a state grant and was awarded $13,000,000 of state funding to offset local costs for this renovation/expansion.

High School

The first phase of the high school project is expected to be completed around January, 2008. This phase encompases the addition of 40,000 square feet of new space in the rear of the building, which includes a new auxiliary gym to replace the gymnasium currently located in the middle of the existing building, along with new locker rooms for male and female students. Also included are auxiliary spaces used to support our physical education and athletic programs. They include an area used for aerobics, gymnastics and wrestling and a new weight training facility that is part of our physical education program and supports our off season athletes. A new trainer’s facility has also been located in this space to replace and expand the existing facility. In the corner of the new addition will be a new six hundred seat cafeteria to support our increased student enrollment and to replace the existing space which can comfortably accommodate 350 students. The location of these spaces, which are the areas primarily used by the community in the off hours is located so that they can be secured from the rest of building during the evening hours, which has been a major concern in this time of heightened security. As part of the project, there have also been significant upgrades to the building's infrastructure, including the heating systems and the computer network.

Upon completion of Phase I, we will immediately move into the new facility vacating the areas that are now the older gymnasium, locker rooms, the trainer’s area, weight room, wrestling room and the existing cafeteria. To accomodate Phase II of the project, partitions will be erected that will close off the hallway between the old auxiliary gymnasium and the rectangle that includes the wrestling room/weight room. This will allow construction workers to enter and leave the areas scheduled for renovation without intermingling with our students and will also allow construction materials to be brought into the building while school is in session. Also the side entrance to the building adjacent to the cafeteria will be closed for use by students and the general public to safely allow the construction of the new greenhouse, which will be in the space that is now the existing kitchen. This action will allow us to immediately begin Phase II, which is the renovation of these areas. As we have indicated previously, the old auxiliary gymnasium will be converted into a new instructional media center. The girls’ locker room will be converted into a new business education lab and will also allow for expansion of the existing guidance area. The rectangle that includes the existing wrestling room/weight room/locker room will be converted into nine classrooms, four larger classrooms with approximately 900 square feet, four smaller classrooms sized at approximately 600 sq. ft. and a new cad/drafting lab. The existing drafting room will be converted into a classroom space. The cafeteria area will be converted into two classrooms and two new science labs, one of them specifically designed for agriculture science, with a new greenhouse. Infrastructure improvements will also be implemented throughout this phase of the project.

The completion of these areas in Phase II is anticipated to occur sometime early in 2009, after which Phase III, the final Phase, will begin. This Phase includes the conversion of the existing library into four fine arts classrooms, which one will be designated as a computer design classroom. We will also be converting a portion of the old library into a security center, which will monitor the entrance of individuals to the building identical to the arrangement at the middle school and will also house the center for the new video system that will be installed throughout the school. This system will monitor all of the large group areas, the hallways and the exterior of the building.

With remaining monies, we will resurface the student parking lot on the east side of the school, install a video security system in the middle school to monitor the interior and exterior of this facility and redesign the entrance in front of the middle school to provide more parking and easier access and egress from the building. Please take the time to review the pictures enclosed, which will give you a visual idea of the progress being made to date.

We will attempt to keep you informed as the project progresses. Remember if there are any questions or concerns that you might have, please feel free to call the district administrative offices at 908-689-3143, Ext. 1045, or e-mail us at: merluzzip@warrenhills.org.

Middle School

The construction at the middle school is now complete and students are now utilizing the updated facilities that were provided for in the referendum. Our Industrial Technology and Film Design classes are now moved into the new technical shop located on the first floor of the addition. This area now provides a state of the art facility designed specifically for these Middle School electives that serve as an introduction to more advanced coursework available at the High School.

Also in the new wing of the building is a new art classroom, which also was designed to provide an introductory program to prepare students for the variety of offerings in the high school art program. In the addition are also two traditional classrooms to provide more instructional space for the growing population and state mandates and to allow us to expand our programs for special needs students.

One of the problems with the facility as it existed prior to the referendum was that it did not provide accessibility for non-ambulatory students to our lower level and second floor classrooms. The design included an elevator, which services all three levels of the building and makes the programs accessible to all students.

In keeping with the concern for student safety and school security, the administrative area has been moved to the front of the building. As part of the redesign we have developed a more secure entry system whereby visitors cannot get into the building without first passing through and receiving clearance via a security station located adjacent to the lobby. The guidance and special services departments have been moved to an area directly across the hall from the new offices and places these services in close proximity to the front door for the convenience of our parents, as well as enhanced security.

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Thank you again for all your support in making this building project a reality and supporting our educational program.