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Push is on to finish LHS renovations before school starts
(by Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor - August 03, 2010)
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Messenger photo by Kristy Zurbrick
Jesus Mercado, a crew member on the renovation project at London High School, works on floors in the revamped locker room area.
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If necessary, construction crews will work nights and weekends to finish renovations at London High School by the Aug. 20 deadline. The first day of school is Aug. 24.
“To see it now, the first week of August, it looks all torn up. I think the community will be very impressed with how it looks three weeks later,” said Superintendent Steve Allen.
With the exception of the auditorium, every part of the original 1981 building is being renovated in some way. The biggest change is upgrades to heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The result will be better efficiency.
“Seventeen air handlers have been replaced this summer,” Allen said. The largest was installed via crane through the roof. One piece of it weighed 8,400 pounds.
“We were running two separate systems, one for the old part of the building and one for the new. Now, they will be integrated,” he said.
Seventeen classrooms are not only getting new air conditioning but also new floors, white boards to replace chalk boards, projectors and computers.
The gym is undergoing extensive renovation, including refurbished floors, new bleachers, air conditioning in the main area and in the locker rooms, and a new paint job. The gym is the only area at the high school that may not be available for use until after Labor Day, said construction liaison John Cornette.
In addition to renovating existing spaces, crews have added 1,400 square feet for a computer lab and video production area adjacent to the wood shop. The shop itself is no longer partitioned.
Other changes include:
• relocation of the art room to a bigger space;
• an angled ceiling in the music room to hopefully improve acoustics;
• reconfigured agriculture education space, which includes a science lab with an aquaculture tank and a temperature-controlled chick hatchery;
• larger locker rooms with a common space for meetings; and
• upgrades to the kitchen, including new equipment.
School officials will tour the building at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 16 prior to the start of the school board’s regular meeting at 7. The tour is open to the public.
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