Why not renovate the existing junior high building?
The age and design of the building would make renovation a VERY expensive proposition. There is, for example, no cheap or easy way to correct the dead-end corridors in the building. The whole structure would have to be gutted. According to the estimate made by the school district’s architect, it would cost over $22 million to renovate, which is almost the cost of the proposed new building. Another flaw with the renovation idea is time. Even if it did prove possible to bring the building up to code, and even if taxpayers were willing to spend over $22 million to refurbish and expand the building, such a massive project would take a very long time. The architect estimates that it would take two years – time during which the building would not be fit for occupation. Where would we put our junior high students during such a process???
