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Building overhaul has school abuzz
By KATHERINE GAZELLA
© St. Petersburg Times, TARPON SPRINGS -- Principal John Nicely stood in the courtyard at Tarpon Springs High School and tried to explain how nice everything will be when the construction is finished, but his voice kept getting drowned out. Nicely has grown accustomed to the chorus of clangs, buzzes and whrrrrs at the school. During a tour of the grounds last week, he described the features of the new classrooms by shouting above the din. "New cabinets . . . cables . . . floors," he said loudly. The rest of the sentence was lost to the sound of a worker's saw. The high school is at the midpoint of a two-year overhaul that includes a revamping of classrooms, a new gym floor, improvements to wiring and cables, and an increase in the amount of indoor space at the school, which opened at this location in 1962. When all the work is done, the capacity at the school will increase from more than 1,600 students to 1,800, which Nicely hopes will eliminate the need for portables. During construction, some classrooms and the gym are off limits, and the library has been temporarily downsized and moved to a small room. A few classes are held in a neighboring strip mall. "It's a little frustrating every once in a while, all the sand and the dirt," Nicely said. "But now we're starting to see some results. . . . You can see the progress." The work is part of a $13.5-million renovation that is affecting nearly every room and hallway at the school. Much of the work was completed over the summer, but Nicely said the project is so massive that it will continue throughout the school year. Between classes last week, students navigated around yellow caution tape and tried to avoid stepping in piles of sand and dirt. During lunch while workers plugged away at the gutted cafeteria, students ate on benches outside or in temporary dining areas. Some parts are done, including several remodeled classrooms with new cabinets, carpet and wiring. A weight room has been renovated, with 60 pieces of Hammer Strength equipment. A new computer lab has been added, and all the underground sewer and cable work at the school is complete. In the music wing of the school, a room has been added that will be used as a recording studio, and new acoustic panels were installed on the walls of the choir room to absorb sounds. Choral director Chuck Cheeseman said he loves the new look of the choir rooms, which includes maroon and white cabinets, and the addition of risers that will double the capacity in the main choir room. The most exciting change, he said, is the new recording studio. Once it is up and running it will give students a rare opportunity to work with computerized recording equipment. "They could get a job as an engineer for traveling bands or working at Ruth Eckerd Hall, running sound systems," he said. Even among students and faculty who are still waiting to see some results, Nicely said he has heard few complaints. "I'm really proud of them," he said. "They've been really flexible." Kathy Bell, a library information specialist, shelved books in a temporary media center last week when Nicely stopped by. She could only move a small portion of the library's resources into the smaller space. "The first three requests we've had for books, I didn't have," Bell said. For now, Bell said, the students and faculty will have to adjust to a limited supply of books. She faces a lot of work to shelve books in a temporary space now then to move them into the remodeled library when it is done but seems unfazed. "I guess because you're excited about what you're going to, you're willing to put up with what you've got," she said. -- Staff writer Katherine Gazella can be reached at (727) 445-4182 or gazella@sptimes.com.
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