Friday, March 26, 2021

Construction Update 3.26.21

 We've moved offices into the new building and have begun to use the new workroom space. Visitors will enter through the new main doors to the school and be greeted by office staff. The new classroom and office spaces are light and bright with plenty of room to maneuver. Ventilation and natural light are abundant. Reviews from students and staff are positive. If you visit, you'll notice what appears to be OSB on the walls. This was intended to be a protective wainscot. When selected, the building committee didn't realize it would appear to be OSB. We are in the process of identifying a replacement for that product.

Contractors have moved their focus to the Commons and the kitchen and expect those to be operational right after Spring break. The crew is working on installation of kitchen equipment and connecting all of the systems in both rooms including lights, Audio/Visual, plumbing, HVAC etc.

Contractors have also turned their attention to remodeling of the old Commons area. The stage is demolished and the sunken area filled in preparation for new concrete floors. The new wall for the Science lab is in progress. Work also continues on the music room. Family and Consumer Sciences classroom will be constructed in June/July.

The project remains on schedule with completion estimated in late August- just in time for school to open. The project remains on budget as well.

We plan to refinish the gym floor this summer. We will be painting new graphics and the floor will look like new. 

There is concern about what changes will need to be made to the school if the Legislature passes SHB 1356 and we can no longer use Indians as our mascot. Throughout the design process, we predicted that this was a possibility and made plans to only include those items that could easily be changed if necessary. While we will need to rebrand if this measure passes, we will not need to eliminate display of artwork that is so important to our history. For example, the portrait of David Ike will be prominently displayed. Ike's seat in the bleachers and the Remington sculptures will still be in our school. Removal of our mascot does not change our history. Toledo exists because of the interaction and relationships of Cowlitz people with Europeans who came here. There is no legislation that can erase that fact and our tradition of honoring First Nations should be maintained.