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Open house set to view renovations at Edison

Joe Goff of Able Concrete in Steubenville works on a handicapped-accessible ramp to the second-floor entrance at Edison High School in Richmond. Students and visitors now will be greeted by staff at a new vestibule which is being added for security purposes. About $5 million in improvements have been made at the building throughout the past two years. An open house is scheduled 2 p.m. Oct. 7. (Submitted photo)

RICHMOND — The last phase of renovations are on track at Edison High School with completion set in October, and a date has been scheduled so the public can catch a glimpse of the work.

Edison Local Schools Superintendent Bill Beattie announced an open house for 2 p.m. Oct. 7.

The multi-million dollar project was conducted in phases with updates to classrooms and restrooms, the HVAC and electrical systems, and various structures around the campus in Richmond. The original structure dates back to 1939, and the addition was built in 1963.

“We’re having the open house in the hopes of sharing with the community what renovations we’ve done over the last two-year period,” Beattie commented. “We’ve probably spent about $5 million on upgrades over the past few years and a lot of this is attributed to the passage of previous levies.”

The most recent updates continued throughout the summer on an estimated $1.7 million project to expand the music room, relocate the Vo-Ag classroom to an exterior building, and upgrade the chemistry lab with more storage and workspace. In addition, the auditorium and additional wing were upgraded with LED lighting; the assistant principal’s office was moved to the second floor along with his secretary and the school nurse; and the guidance office now is located in the assistant principal’s former space near the cafeteria.

“We’ve finished the chemistry lab and are still working on the Vo-Ag buildings and the front entry will have a vestibule that will be installed next week,” Beattie added. “We hoped to have the sidewalls and ramps done by the first week of October.”

The Brewer-Garrett Company of Cleveland was contracted as the design-and-build firm for the projects and crews were busy during the summer break demolishing walls and clearing sites to make room and create more modern, state-of-the-art facilities. The music room was expanded after the neighboring Vo-Ag room was moved to the program’s on-site building, which was reconfigured to incorporate a classroom and woodshop. Work was still being finalized in some of those areas plus 40-foot-by-38-foot addition will be used as a welding shop.

Faculty, staff, students and visitors will enter at the second-floor level once it is outfitted with the new doors and vestibule, Beattie added.

Visitors will be buzzed in as an extra security measure and the entrance will be handicapped-accessible. Other work includes installing new windows in the gym, music room and rear section of the school’s addition, as well as the doors at the new entrance and more near the teachers’ parking area. The projects are being financed with general funding from both the current 5.9-mill operational levy and a 2.1-mill emergency measure passed around 2015.

EHS has received extensive updates over the past two years, including a $2.8 million renovation in the original structure. Rooms received new lighting, drywall, drop ceilings and fresh paint, while an HVAC unit was installed to heat and cool much of the building with the exception of the kitchen and gym. Additional improvements include new lockers and restrooms on the second and third floors and new windows installed in the school addition. The gym also received a fresh coat of paint from contractors while the district hired a summer paint crew and college students as part of the summer work program through the Jefferson County Community Action Council.

School officials said the electrical updates were needed to meet the demands of growing technology in the building. Further improvements across the campus included a $41,000 makeover of the press box; a new barn/storage building for the agricultural program behind the FFA greenhouse; and repairs to the FFA greenhouse that was damaged by high winds this past spring. The latter repairs were done by FFA members, advisor Chuck Cline and school custodians.

EHS Principal Matt Morrison said he was pleased with the updates, saying it modernizes the structure and provides students with even more advantages to learn.

“We have a brand-new, state-of-the-art band room and we’re going to have a state-of-the-art Vo-Ag building and chemistry lab. It’s going to be fantastic,” said Morrison. “The entire building is brand new educationally and athletically.”

Students also have technological opportunities with the 1:1 Chromebook initiative and each pupil has his or her own computer device to use in class, Morrison explained. About 160 new Chromebooks and four storage carts were previously acquired through a $40,000 grant from the Charles M. and Thelma M. Pugliese Charitable Foundation and added to the school.

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