New Auburn High School construction moving along briskly
Published 2:43 pm Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Mike Newman passes by the new Auburn High School construction site at East Main three times each day, taking in the sight.
Checking the progress on the massive $110 million project has become a daily ritual with Auburn School District’s Deputy Superintendent since February’s groundbreaking. And with the way things are progressing, it’s turned into one of the happiest points of Newman’s day.
“They’re doing a phenomenal job,” Newman said of Lydig Construction, the principal contractor on the project. “The weather has been really helpful. When you look at the phasing work that has to be done and how systematic they are in their approach, it’s clear we have an amazing contractor.”
District voters approved the $110 million construction bond last November, the district’s third attempt to pass the measure.
Among the design features are:
• A new and prominent front entry on East Main Street.
• Direct access to and easily visibility of the Performing Arts Center (PAC) and main gynmasium from 4th Street Northeast.
• Expansion of on-site parking stalls from 315 to more than 600.
• A large parking lot adjacent to the main gym, the PAC and Auburn Pool, directly across the street from Auburn Memorial Stadium.
• An off-street bus loading area.
• New synthetic turf baseball and softball fields.
• All buildings under one roof.
• Improved energy efficiency.
• New classroom and building technology.
• A large student commons.
• A modernized PAC with a new front entry plaza and drop-off area, a new lobby and delivery area, new theater seats, upgraded lighting and sound systems, improved access for the disabled, seismic upgrades, and more restrooms.
The aging high school is no longer cost-effective to operate and maintain. Critically needed repairs include leaking roofs, poor air quality and ventilation and outdated classrooms and labs. Those old systems have cost the district $250,000 more in energy costs per year than all the other schools combined.
Now its replacement is out of the ground. As early as the close of this week parts of the roof could be up on the first part of the structure, the section nearest to the PAC.
“It’s a concrete block, but they just really went to town on it this past week,” Newman said. “It was exciting to see that. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing steel standing up later this week. They’ve been delivering it for a week now.”
Lydig has told the district it expects that by the end of Octobe, the project will be “buttoned up” with the roof on. Work will continue without a break until next September.
“Here’s the scary part,” Newman said. “A year from now, on Sept. 3, 2014, we’ll be in that new building for the first day of classes. It’s pretty mind boggling.”
