High school renovations to start in October, rerouting vehicle, foot traffic

LACONIA — Renovations to Laconia High School involving a complete revamp of the kitchen, 15 new single-stall bathrooms and the addition of ventilation to several classrooms currently without it is set to begin this fall and last through August of next year.

The school board approved $6.7 million in federal Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief funds and $500,000 in district funds toward the renovation last year. ESSER funds expire in September 2024, giving the project a hard finish deadline, which the district currently expects to meet. Bob Champlin, a former longtime superintendent in the city, was hired as a consultant by the district in August of last year to help oversee the project.

“From our perspective, we’re at budget — everything is ready to go, just like we had hoped,” Champlin told the school board in an update last week.

Work will begin Tuesday, Oct. 10 in the parking lot as crews install exterior equipment required for the kitchen renovation. This will involve repaving, and vehicle and foot traffic entering and exiting the school will be rerouted toward the back of the building, according to Champlin. Some staff and visitor parking spots will be forfeited. 

“We have presented to staff — those are the people that are going to have to move at some point — and, again, we actually got an ovation,” Champlin said to the board in response to a question about parking disruptions. “They know good things are coming, and so they’re gonna have to put up with some stuff, but they’re ready.”

Kitchen construction will begin promptly following Thanksgiving break. Students will still eat in the cafeteria, but high school meals during renovations will be prepared in the Huot Career and Technical Center’s culinary department, which abuts the high school’s dining facilities.

In phases, the three sets of bathrooms centrally located on each floor of the building will be replaced with 15 single-stall restrooms, with five per floor. The move toward what Champlin described as “home-style” facilities has already been done at other districts in the state. In addition to increasing privacy, the change is aimed at reducing vandalism, vaping and other behaviors on the rise during and after the pandemic. 

Also in a phased rollout, nine total classrooms in the high school’s original building will be closed for the addition of ventilation. Vertical “stacks” of three classrooms each will be closed at a time, and the process will happen in three steps. 

Teachers will have to relocate to other classrooms or shared spaces such as the library during these phases, Champlin said, making it likely the most disruptive part of the project. 

It’s possible, Champlin added, the district will further renovations: the current project is running within budget, including contingency funds, and work to add ventilation to the final remaining parts of the 100-year-old building, refurbish locker rooms and renovate a special education room could be pursued with any leftover funds, additional grant funds the district may to apply for and money from a maintenance holding account with the city.