DANVILLE – The Danville high school will be getting a facelift. The school board approved a $14 million renovation plan for the high school and stadium. Architects presented two options to update science labs, improve security at the school’s main entrance, build a new auditorium, and stadium improvements. Those projects will now be sent out for bid.
School board president David Weader said the music programs need a place to perform, “Right now we’ve got 120 chorus kids and 140 band kids who don’t have enough room to practice every day. And there will also be opportunity for the community to use that facility as well.”
The district had already set aside $2.5 million for the track and stadium. Additional funds to be used toward the project include savings from refunded bonds in the amount of $4.9 million and expected FEMA funds in the amount of $1 million, as well as PlanCon funding.
Business manager Janis Venna said PlanCon money from the state had been on hold, “The state is in the process of borrowing money to fund the schools. There was a moratorium, and schools stopped receiving money, and we were in the pipeline, so we didn’t get any monies at all, so hopefully, those monies from 2011 till now will come through.”
The track and stadium are slated to be finished by the end of August of 2017. Renovations to the high school building are expected to be complete by fall of 2018. (Ashley Thomas)
