Students might be out of school but activity continues this summer at numerous Hilliard City Schools buildings as the district completes $6 million in improvements.
Those improvements include replacement of roofs at Avery Elementary School, Hilliard Station Sixth Grade School and Hilliard Darby High School, roof restoration at Ridgewood Elementary School and new parking lots at Darby and Davidson high schools and J.W. Reason Elementary School.
Parking-lot improvements will be completed at Heritage Middle School and Bradley and Darby high schools and a parking-lot addition will be constructed at Britton Elementary School.
The district also is focused on the repurposing of school buildings in conjunction with the opening of a new Memorial Middle School next to Bradley, 2800 Walker Road.
"Our top priority this summer will be to be sure all our schools in transition are ready to go in August," said Cliff Hetzel, director of business for the district.
Priorities include converting the current Station into the Innovative Learning Hub and getting the current Memorial building ready to become the new Station, Hetzel said.
The new Memorial is expected to open its doors when classes resume Aug. 22.
"We have an amazing team and amazing partners so we know we can get this done in time," Hetzel said.
Assistant Superintendent Mike McDonough concurred.
"As we work toward completion of the new Memorial Middle School, (our crews) have already begun preparing for the transition for the new Station Sixth Grade building and the hub," he said.
The learning hub should allow the district to increase class offerings at the McVey Innovative Learning Center that opened in 2013.
"In addition to these building transitions, we are continuing to address capital-improvement needs throughout the district," McDonough said.
Additional work includes parking-lot LED lighting improvements, tennis court repairs and lot resurfacing at Darby and Davidson high schools, stadium fences at Davidson and improvements to performing-arts centers at all three high schools, he said.
The improvements are funded through a combination of bond and permanent-improvements revenue, said Stacie Raterman, a spokeswoman for the district.
"We are certainly thankful for our community support through our permanent-improvements funding, as well as our recent bond issue from November 2016," McDonough said.
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