Progress seen on Waynesboro high school project

November 25, 2008|By JENNIFER FITCH

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Forty-two tables soon will be delivered for the new cafeteria being built at Waynesboro Area Senior High School, meaning students will be using it at the start of the new year.

Interior work continues on the $46 million renovation and expansion of the 48-year-old school, which last was renovated in 1989. The project officially kicked off with a groundbreaking in January 2007 and is expected to continue through late fall or early winter of 2009.

In the new auditorium, audio control panels were hung, carpet was put in place and some of the 1,600 seats have been installed.

"They're pushing for that to be open in the middle of December," said Jeff Adams, maintenance supervisor.

Although he hopes the auditorium will be completed in December, he said it is too early to have a good estimate.

The old auditorium has been converted into the cafeteria. According to Adams, construction workers plan to turn over the kitchen to the school district Dec. 2 so appliances can be installed.

Eight classrooms are in the midst of being renovated. When they are finished in February, teachers will move into them so another set of eight classrooms can be renovated. Adams estimated that 16 to 20 classrooms await renovation.

That coordination of making rooms available to teachers and students has proved to be one of the most daunting tasks, Adams said.

"It's almost like a wave of a football team. Here goes defense, now offense comes in," he said.

The new three-court gymnasium, on the ground level of the four-story school, has been used for several indoor sports in the past few months. Much of Adams' pride in the project comes from being on that end of the school, where he said you can see elegant details and craftsmanship displayed.

"It's amazing what they can do," he said.

Much of the building -- which was previously 180,000 square feet and had another 108,000 square feet added -- will be heated this winter using a geothermal well system.

"The new system is working fine. It's going to be a super payback," Adams said, commenting on energy savings.

Adams expects that continued renovation could present some stumbling blocks. He explained that unforeseen problems occasionally are hidden behind walls that are then opened.

The final stages of the project will include landscaping and the partial demolition of "D Wing" to allow better truck access.

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