The addition to the Hedley Public School building is right on track with concrete work being done and steel expected in two weeks, according to Principal Terry Stevens.
Workers were busy this week grinding and polishing the terrazzo in what will become the main entrance to the school. Stevens said the terrazzo is being installed by the Amarillo firm of Zanchettin Brothers, who installed the floors in the current school building more than 30 years ago.
When completed next fall, the addition will give Hedley students four more classrooms and a large multimedia room which will serve as a combination library-auditorium with a seating capacity of 400. A large, elevated stage will be used for choir programs and plays.
“We usually have 400 or more people here for graduation,” Stevens said. “We’ll just roll the bookshelves away, and we should be able to get everyone in here. It will be air-conditioned so it will be more comfortable than having graduation in the gym was.”
The project also provides two storage rooms for equipment and chairs as well as two new administrative offices.
“We were just simply out of space,” Stevens said. “When we’re through, we will have a classroom for every teacher.”
Stevens said he expects the addition will meet the needs of Hedley school kids for the foreseeable future.
The $1.2 million project is being partially funded through an Instructional Facilities Allotment grant from the state. The IFA money will cover approximately 83 percent of the cost while the Hedley school district picks up the rest.
When completed, the main entrance of the building will face west and a new gable metal roof will cover both the new and old sections of the building.
The gymnasium will also be re-roofed and will have a new ventilation system to make it more comfortable for Owl fans.
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