Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Jamestown High School Upgrades Ready for School Year

The tennis courts and track at Jamestown high School have not been upgraded since the school was built in 1997. (Ian Brickey/WYDaily)
The tennis courts and track at Jamestown high School have not been upgraded since the school was built in 1997. (Ian Brickey/WYDaily)

Students returning to Jamestown high School in September will come back to a spruced-up building.

Workers concluded a second year of upgrades and improvements to the school over the summer as part of a three-year refurbishment of the nearly 20-year-old school.

WJCC Senior Director for Operations Marcellus Snipes said the summer work was focused on the building’s second floor, and included the installation of rubberized tiles in the hallways, replacement of casework, fixtures and new painting throughout the floor’s classrooms.

“The classrooms have accent walls now, which they’ve never had before,” Snipes said. “Some of the people on the first floor are going to wish they had classrooms on the second floor.”

Snipes said phase three of the refurbishment is scheduled to take place in the summer of 2016.

The school division earmarked $2.7 million for the three phases in its capital improvement plan, which oversees spending on large-dollar construction projects. The school has not been refurbished since it was opened in 1997.

Work is also continuing on schedule to replace the tennis courts and track at Jamestown. Both playing surfaces have been criticized by coaches and players on the track and tennis teams for their poor quality.

Damage to the tennis courts prevent Jamestown from hosting any home matches at the school’s courts, instead relocating them to other area facilities. Drainage issues at the site also contributed to the poor condition.

Most of the track’s rubberized surface has been worn away due to years of use.

Snipes said the track replacement had seen a minor delay, but both playing surfaces would be ready in time for their respective seasons.

The school division earmarked $164,405 to replace the track, and $134,000 to fix the tennis courts.

The school division’s next major project is the refurbishment of Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School. Administrators have identified refurbishing the school, which was built in 1989, as a major priority for the future.

The school division’s CIP laid out $1.65 million for the project, which is scheduled to be completed next summer.

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