Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Pounding Sound: Students at two Willow Glen schools are sharing their campuses with construction crews.
Construction greets students
WGHS and WGMS students return to find major projects under way on campus
By Chantal Lamers
School bells are ringing, hammers are pounding and roofs are under repair at Willow Glen Middle School and Willow Glen High School. Students went back to school on Aug. 30, and they are trying to adjust as their campuses get some long-awaited construction.
Over the summer, electricians and construction workers were busy at the high school and middle school campuses. While work at the middle school is scheduled to be completed this November--the high school isn't scheduled to be finished until December 2001.
High school Principal Pat Day says faculty and staff are doing extremely well under the circumstances. Day says students and staff have been preparing for the construction for a year. "Everybody is thrilled that the work is getting done," Day says.
In June 1997, 75 percent of San Jose voters approved a $165 million bond to repair 42 schools in the San Jose Unified School District.
According to the district, after Measure C passed, architects, engineers and construction managers visited the campuses to assess the extent of repair and the amount of time it would take.
Construction began on some schools in 1998. The district estimates all construction will be done by 2006. Some of the schools, such as Willow Glen High School, are about 50 years old and are in dire need of major repairs, district officials say.
John Cimino, district manager of school construction and maintenance, says there's a small window of time, about 11 weeks while students are away on summer break, to do major repairs. "We're really proud of the accomplishments we've made--we got every kid in the classroom and things are safe and clean."
He says overall, things are on schedule. "There are peaks and valleys," he says. Because the schools were built about 50 years ago, there are some unforeseen conditions.
Cimino says the work on the middle school includes the repair of two classroom wings and an adjacent theater.
Cimino says millions of dollars were earmarked for low voltage and electrical infrastructure change on the 42 campuses. He says this includes a complete rewiring of electrical systems, energy management, security, technical systems and fire alarms. Schools will have new air conditioning and heating systems, too.
Construction on the high school is being completed in six phases, Cimino says. The first phase included putting all new piping in the ground. Now, in the second phase of repairs, construction workers are fixing bathrooms. Future phases include remodeling selected classrooms and doing gym upgrades.
Cimino says major repairs have been needed for years. He says because minor repairs were put off for so long, and only patched up, things continued to get worse.
"This is the situation we've been put into," he says.
SJUSD Trustee Carol Myers says she also is trying to get some district money so the campuses can be landscaped. She says the middle school doesn't have an irrigation system and shallow roots from trees have made it difficult to care for the lawns on high school grounds.
On the first day of school, many students discovered sections of the high school campus sectioned off and many students are looking for new routes to get around campus. Portions of classroom buildings are boarded up and parts of some roofs have been torn off.
While students acknowledge they were warned about the construction, they find it inconvenient.
Senior Melissa Alen says the spot where she has always hung out with her friends during lunch and breaks has been blocked off by metal fences. She says she and her friends hang out by the cafeteria now--a crowded place to hang out since many areas of the campus are gated.
Although many students find the construction annoying, some students are looking on the bright side of things. "It's annoying, but I'm glad it's getting fixed," junior John Neal says.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
