Summer Renovations Underway at WHS
WETHERSFIELD - School’s out, so renovation work is in full swing at Wethersfield High School.

       Site work has the playing fields and track off limits and Superintendent of Schools Michael Emmett is hoping to get the cafeteria ready to go for the upcoming school year.

       The latter objective, so far, seems to be moving along on schedule, Emmett said.

       â€"My experience has been, don’t expect to get anything back on time,” he said. â€"As we speak, it is on time.”

       Renovation work to expand the space prompted the kitchen to be closed off three weeks before the school year ended. Food was prepared and brought in from offsite in what Emmett described as a â€"grab and go” service. Students and staff were still able to use the cafeteria itself.

       â€"Obviously we’re going to be diligent about coming up with an alternative plan in case the cafeteria and kitchen are not open Aug. 31,” Emmett told the Town Council at a high school renovation-related special meeting last week.

       Like he said, he’s become accustomed to delays. The main office and guidance areas, as well as some science labs and English classrooms, are expected to come back online this week, but that’s been a long time coming as well, Emmett said.

       â€"We were supposed to get it back in February--we didn’t,” he said.

       Then there’s the auditorium. That’s been offline since December of last year and Emmett expects it to reopen by this coming December. The ceiling and duct work are done, the scaffolding is coming down and structural work for a mezzanine is in progress, according to Emmett.

       Another area that Emmett hopes to have ready by Aug. 31 is the pool. That’s being touched up for ADA compliance, while renovations on the locker rooms are also underway.

       â€"It’s not a complete renovation of the pool, but there were definitely issues with the height of the railings and accessibility issues in the locker rooms,” Emmett said.

       Meanwhile, contractors are working on finishing the gymnasium and media center lobbies.

       Outside, site work will close off Cottone Field, as well as other athletic venues on the campus.

       â€"We’re really trying to dissuade anybody from being on the fields at all because there is so much site work,” Emmett said. â€"There’s really no safe entry point at this time.”

       For the purpose of football summer practices, Emmett expects the fields to become available by the middle of August.

       â€"We let the construction company know that’s the expectation,” he said.
MORE WETHERSFIELD NEWS  |  STORY BY MARK DIPAOLA  |  Jul 09 2015  |  COMMENTS?