As I pulled up to the school wednesday morning, I caught a glimpse of red at the front entrance of the school. The red and grey exterior and other finishing touches were being added to the building. The new and gleaming features bring a new aura to the overall look of the school, and initiate further excitement in the future school improvement projects.
Nearly all of the community members are aware that various projects are being started and finished to make additions and renovations to the current high school building. On Sept. 22 the new main entrance opened to the school, and in the past two weeks construction workers have added the exterior panels to the building as it is nearly finished.
The construction of the student parking lot access road also began in the week of Sept. 22. According to Huntley High School’s Principal Scott Rowe, the road is expected to be finished the week of Nov. 3 and begin use the week before Thanksgiving break, beginning Nov. 17. A plan as far as incorporating the new road into the current traffic flow has not been officially created, but it will be determined over the next couple weeks.
From all sides of HHS, the large and looming structure behind the building is an intriguing and highly anticipated addition. The new field house is set to be finished in May 2015. Rowe stated that he expects the field house to be enclosed from the outside “before Christmas break.” The exterior closure of the field house will allow construction to continue on the inside throughout the winter in order for it to be finished and ready for use in the spring.
Other projects will begin towards the end of spring and the beginning of summer. The addition of the west academic wing, which will be located on the ends of the W Hallway and the Physics Hallway. The addition will include six labs and seven classrooms.
As far as summer projects, the cafeteria will be modified to create a more open “lunchroom lounge,” said Rowe. The stoop wall of the cafeteria will be knocked down to create a more open space that extends into a commons, where the current library is located. At the same time, the library will be moved into the West Gym.