×

Majority of WAHS renovation expected to be completed by next school year

A pile of wood chunks is all that remains of the floor of the Warren Area High School gym.

The renovation of Warren Area High School is winding down.

According to Warren County School District Director of Buildings and Grounds Services Dr. Norbert Kennerknecht, all of the major portions of the work should be completed by October.

The building’s science wing is in use. The other wing should be complete around the end of this school year.

The new media center is in use as a band and choir room.

The addition that connects those two hallways and creates a new courtyard is already partially in use.

The school will add 14 new educational spaces thanks to that addition. Some students will also have shorter walks between some of their classes when it is finished.

Art and technology spaces are under renovation.

The latest demolition is in the gym, where the floor, bleachers, scoreboard, and ductwork have all been removed.

The new system will provide a better balance of heat. “It’s going to be more comfortable in here,” Kennerknecht said.

The old scoreboard will be moved to Beaty-Warren Middle School.

The locker rooms are undergoing a full renovation and will be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

“The gym will be ready for the beginning of school” in 2017-2018, Kennerknecht said.

When classes let out for the summer, workers will begin demolition in the auditorium.

That space has been modified into numerous classrooms while classrooms in the wings are unavailable.

That work will be undone. “As soon as school lets out, we’ll be dismantling all the classrooms we put in,” Kennerknecht said.

The new auditorium will feature new seats, new lights, and other changes. That portion of the project should be done by October, Kennerknecht said.

He recognized the patience and cooperation of the students and the staff. In particular, he thanked those who moved into the brand new spaces in the addition — “I know it’s really inconvenient to move mid-semester.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today