Construction Projects Enhance Lakeview and South Lake Buildings

While students were enjoying their summer vacation, construction workers were busy remodeling portions of and South Lake Schools.

In Lakeview, the main project is a large addition to Jefferson Middle School, which will be complete in December. On the outside, the school will have a more defined main entrance and will visually resemble the remodeled entrance of Lakeview High School.

The addition to Jefferson includes an expanded cafeteria to accommodate the school’s growing student body, a new office area that consolidates the administration and counseling offices, and a new secure-entry port that takes visitors to the main office first before they can go anywhere else in the building.

The secure-entry ports were one of the goals in the 2007 bond issue, said Sean Zaborowski, Lakeview’s director of operations and athletics. With the completion of the Jefferson Middle School entry port, all of the district’s schools will have secure entries.

Other enhancements at the middle school include the expansion of the parking lot facing Rockwood and the creation of a drop-off lane to provide smoother traffic flow during the morning and afternoon.

Also, the district is replacing the school’s four tennis courts and adding another four courts.

“Now we will have eight tennis courts, so we will accommodate more PE classes. We will double the number of kids participating in one time,” Zaborowski said. “The courts are competition-ready, and we’ve already been contacted by the city about using them for summer programs next year.”

At Lakeview High School, workers refurbished the dressing rooms and restrooms in the backstage area. Mirrors and lights were added, making it a more friendly facility for performers, Zaborowski said.

Several dance companies currently use Lakeview’s 1,500-seat auditorium. “This will make it a first-class facility to use, which will generate more interest from other groups,” he said.

The Jefferson project signals the completion of Lakeview’s 2007 bond work.

“The ability for us to put money into our buildings is going to have a major positive impact on our students,” Zaborowski said.

South Lake High School remodeled

At , students came back to a remodeled front plaza.

Workers removed some old planter boxes and added more grass and landscaping to soften the look of the school, said Matthew Dishman, director of business and operations. A new sign and new lighting will be added to clearly mark the school’s main entrance.

The district also replaced the parking lot shared by the South Lake Athletic Field and the administration building.

In the area of technology, new servers were added and the district’s server storage space was updated. Previously located in more than one building, the servers are now centrally located in the high school, and the district has installed a backup generator to keep them running in case power is lost.

The summer projects are part of South Lake’s 2008 bond work. Dishman said there are a few remaining small-scale bond projects that will be completed in the near future.

The plaza renovation project is a significant change for South Lake High School because the planter boxes that were removed date back to 1968, Dishman said.

“What I always say is that we are changing the face of South Lake forever," he said. "It was in desperate need of repair, but now it looks great and it brings it all together. The high school looks nice on the inside, with new floors, ceilings and doors, and now the outside looks new and remodeled as well.”