Dear Chatham Families,
I hope you have had an enjoyable summer! The start of the new school year is fast approaching and I wanted to update you on our construction taking place this summer at Chatham High School. I am happy to report that the project is going well and all three of our schools will be ready to welcome students when classes start on Thursday, September 4.
This summer’s work is Phase 2 of our Capital Improvement Project and represents a big chunk of the renovations happening at CHS. Highlights include updates to the building’s main entranceway and lobby, new sidewalks and pavement in the parking lot, renovations to student bathrooms, HVAC upgrades in the gym area, and renovations to our technology, science, art, and (formerly!) temporary-wall classrooms. Additional improvements are scheduled for Phase 3, the final phase of the project, happening next summer.
Please be aware that there will be finishing touches that will require some work to continue beyond the start of the school year (mostly during after-school hours) but that we expect this to have minimal impact on our students.
Some areas where you may notice work still in progress are:
In our new technology suite, the lab area will be ready for the start of school but it will take until mid-September for the shop area to be completed. This should have little impact on instruction as the shop portion of projects doesn't start until later that month.
One boys and one girls bathroom will not be ready until the end of September, but we have enough other bathrooms throughout the building to adequately accommodate our students.
Some classroom cabinetry and shelving units have been delayed in shipping and may not be installed by the start of school. For any rooms where these have not arrived, we will use temporary tables for classroom storage while contractors install the cabinets or shelves as they come in during after-school hours.
The CHS lobby will be ready for use on the first day of school but some cosmetic finishes - this includes decorative stone, built-in benches, and new interior windows - will be completed during the holiday break.
I must say it is very exciting to see all these improvements taking shape. Thank you all for your flexibility and understanding as we continue to work through this project together. We will be sharing project photos in the coming days on our website. I can think of little else more important than investing in our learning spaces for our students.
Fondly,
Andrew Kourt
Superintendent of Schools