BUILDING BLOCKS: First phase of $49 million New Pal project is making strong progress

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Masonry work is wrapping up on the new fieldhouse at New Palestine High School, which will play a critical role in the high school renovation/expansion: It will house 18 classrooms while work takes places elsewhere in the school building. (New Palestine High School photo)

NEW PALESTINE — Phase one of the $49 million New Palestine High School renovation project is moving along, as visible progress could be seen this week.

“We’re really making a lot of headway as far as the actual physical structure of the fieldhouse,” community relations director Wes Anderson said.

The brick facade on the fieldhouse went up this week and is giving the first new construction in the project some definition.

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The new fieldhouse eventually will be a venue for numerous Dragon sporting events. Before all of that happens, however, teachers and students will occupy the structure in 18 temporary classrooms that will be set up so renovations can take place elsewhere in the school.

“A lot of the heavy lifting in the fieldhouse has already been done,” Anderson said. “We hope to have the temporary classes set up at the latest by Christmas break.”

Workers need to add siding to the top half of the field house and install electrical, plumbing and flooring for the temporary classrooms, which will be used for the next couple of years while work inside the high school takes place. The project is expected to be entirely completed sometime during the 2022-23 school year.

“The classrooms will be the same as having a classroom inside the school,” Principal Jim Voelz said. “It will basically be another school right next to our school.”

The first phase of the renovation project actually includes three major parts. The first part was relocating the varsity softball field to free up space. That work was completed in the spring. Then, the fieldhouse was started. Finally, additional parking lots will be created around the high school.

Renovations to much of the existing high school will not begin until after the first phase of the project is complete.

Once the renovations to the high school building are completed during the second phase of the project, students will move back into the building. At that time, the fieldhouse will be finished with three basketball/volleyball courts, a three-lane indoor track, and additional locker rooms and restrooms.

The idea of shifting the students from the high school to the fieldhouse is so teachers, students and staff will be separated from the construction area inside the high school.

Workers added a new hallway this week connecting the fieldhouse to the high school, making it a main entrance and exit for students.

Part of the construction in the fieldhouse area connection to the high school includes a refurbishing of the wrestling room with a new office and fresh paint and a new weight room, one that is much larger with some new equipment.

“In the COVID environment, the new facility will allow us to spread kids out,” Anderson said. “It’s going to be a great space for all our teams.”

Renovation to existing classrooms, the front office and the cafeteria will all happen during the next phase of the project. The renovations will add classrooms; wider hallways for better traffic flow; a significantly larger cafeteria; some large-group instructional spaces; and more space for the school’s fine arts program.

Voelz noted a lot of people don’t even know construction of the fieldhouse is happening because it’s tucked at the side of the high school, away from traffic.

“There’s a lot of really cool stuff happening,” Voelz said.

Anderson offered a reminder: This is the first phase of a multi-year project.

“We’re real excited, but this is the first step in a very long process,” Anderson said. “We’re looking forward to getting this phase wrapped up and starting in on the meat and potatoes of the project next.”