Warwick Development News

High School Renovation Update and Solar Feasibility Presented

The meeting provided an extensive update on the comprehensive renovation of the high school, detailing numerous improvements across various areas of the facility. Key upgrades include the creation of a 'tech commons' with collaborative spaces and an audio booth, the relocation and enhancement of the library into a 'learning commons' with flexible seating and a bridge, and the installation of a larger, more accessible elevator. The project also involved significant overhauls of classrooms, hallways, special needs areas, family consumer sciences facilities, vocational shops (welding, wood shop, textiles), counseling offices, the gym, and auxiliary gym. Specific enhancements to the gym include new electronic bleachers and a refinished floor, while the auxiliary gym features a new rubber matting system floor. Other improvements include updated locker rooms, officials' rooms, team rooms, gang bathrooms, an expanded athletic storage area, and a new AD office. Utility upgrades encompass a new natural gas boiler system, rooftop units, windows, doors, brine tanks, a new chiller, a backup generator, and a new roof. The cafeteria and band/orchestra areas received new lighting and HVAC. Fire doors were added and ramps modified to meet code. The auditorium seating has been replaced, and new flooring and carpet installed. Notably, many of the workers involved in the renovation are alumni of the school, bringing a sense of pride to the project. A solar feasibility presentation was also made, outlining potential benefits and considerations for installing solar panels on the high school and middle school roofs, including estimated savings and project timelines, with a recommendation to consider the initiative before January 1st due to potential market changes.