WETHERSFIELD - Christmas break at Wethersfield High School saw some level 1, 3 and 5 restroom abatement, the return of some instructional space and the launch of the $85 million project’s next phase: The renovation of classrooms at the back of the building.

       â€�"They’ve completed abatement, flooring in some areas of the music wing--the band and choral rooms,” said Superintendent of Schools Michael Emmett.

       The issue is that even with 16 classrooms--including science lab, business and special education instructional space--coming back online, more will be going off with the start of work.

       â€�"This is a challenging phase,” Emmett said before Christmas break. â€�"We are giving up more classrooms than we’re getting back.”

       Emmett will likely look for teachers to share classrooms, possibly through the use of partitions to split available space, in some cases.

       â€�"Students and teachers have been so good at handling the trials and tribulations over the past couple of years,” Emmett said. â€�"It’s kind of become old hat.”

       Demolition for the next phase has already begun, with a fall target for the return of the offline classrooms, but work at that area of the building also includes the exterior. There’s still renovations to the back parking lot, and the relocation of the school’s tennis courts to complete.

       â€�"There’s still a lot of work that’s going to be done over the course of the next summer,” Emmett said.

       Meanwhile, Emmett still has his eye on the progress of the high school auditorium. He had been hoping to have that ready to go this month, but the opening of that area has been pushed to early March.

       â€�"Unfortunately that did not happen,” he said. â€�"They’re making significant process. They’re framing the mezzanine, doing the control rooms. All the concrete is poured.”

       Contributing to the delay was the discovery of a concrete foundation during excavation. Contractors had to pour new concrete as part of work on the elevator pit.

       The Jan. 4 date for the return of the 200- and 400-level classroom space, however, was right on schedule, Emmett said.

       â€�"That’s been a rarity,” he said. â€�"I was pleased they got done with the amount of space they got done with.”

       A renovated cafeteria, new classrooms, and some additional parking were among the objectives completed during the project’s summer work phase. Science, lab, and English classrooms came back online earlier in this phase, with the finishing touches on a botany lab recently completed, according to Emmett.