Renovations underway at HVRHS

FALLS VILLAGE — The auditorium looked much smaller without anything in it. Multipurpose Room 133 was covered with plastic sheeting. The cafeteria was stripped down to the bones, and workers were on the scaffolding at the front of the building.

That was the scene at Housatonic Valley Regional High School Friday, July 19, when Facilities Manager Jeff Lloyd took a reporter around to see the ongoing renovations and capital improvements.

A Jan. 8 referendum vote on a $5.64 million capital improvement and renovation project at HVRHS passed by 579-206 vote.
The improvements and renovations are extensive. Included are cafeteria and auditorium renovations, including new seats in the auditorium, new furniture in the cafeteria, and new sound equipment in both venues.

The tennis courts located north of the HVRHS campus are being resurfaced with a new “coaches’ alley” included. A 300 kilowatt generator is being installed in the southern end of the school, which Lloyd said “can run everything” in the event of a power failure. All masonry is being inspected and, where necessary, repaired. There is a new fire alarm system, new bathrooms, and the cupola on the roof is receiving some long-overdue attention.

In the hallway outside Room 133 and heading down into the math and science classrooms, the entire wiring and duct system was exposed.

Lloyd asked an unseen worker overhead how it was going.

“We’re bobbing and weaving, just like we always do” said the voice.

Clambering up the scaffold stairs in the cafeteria, a visitor beheld a small army of workers dealing with the ceiling.
Lloyd said with a building as old as HVRHS, there are always surprises, which almost always require some adjustments to the original plan.

Most of the project will be complete for the first day of school Tuesday, Aug. 27, but the auditorium will not be ready. Lloyd said the new seats won’t arrive until the last week of August.

Lloyd was interrupted constantly during the tour, for quick huddles with contractors, to discuss the plantings in the front of the school, and to help sort out a delivery.