On Nov. 8, 2022, Measure S, a $340 million bond measure, passed, leaving CHS to begin undergoing a variety of facility updates. While CHS has seen a few upgrades, some students may be wondering when the benefits of the bond measure will truly start rolling in, especially one of the most anticipated facility projects: the H-Building heating and air conditioning unit.
“Starting this summer, each classroom in the H-building is going to get an individual heating and air conditioning unit,” said CHS principal Bennett Wutkee. “Right now, they’ve all been running on a central unit. Now they’re all going to get their own unit. Starting this summer they’re going to take care of the bottom floor and then next summer, they’ll complete the top floor.”
This change to teachers having their own units is intended to both improve in-class experiences and the turnaround for fixing any potential problems.
“A teacher will be able to run things at temperatures that are comfortable for his or her class, within a preset temperature range,” said Wutkee. “If the unit goes out, it’s really easy to fix it and know where the problem is. This is an important project for Measure S for the school.”
Other H-building projects will also be addressed this summer.
“The school district is working with an elevator repair company,” said Wutkee. “Parts have been ordered and the plan is for the elevator to be repaired over the summer.”
According to LVUSD Bond Project Manager Shawn Vudmaska, the H-building will be seeing other minor code compliance updates, such as a pedestrian side gate and bathroom updates. This summer will also see CHS’ exterior being painted the same shades as the front of the building, according to Assistant Superintendent and Chief Business Officer Ryan Gleason, with the Performing Arts building also being upgraded with new broadcasting facilities.
The H-Building has already seen some much-needed repairs, such as fixes to the roof.
“They came out and did a full inspection of the roof and we are happy to say that the roof is very strong and there are no compromises to the roof,” said Wutkee. “The issue with the water coming in was that the seals for the air conditioning unit were faulty. Those have been replaced and now we shouldn’t be getting leaks anymore.”
On the other hand, some projects will begin further down the line.
“They were supposed to begin work on the solar panels this summer but that project has been pushed back and work will begin in the summer of 2025,” said Wutkee.
According to Vudmaska, solar panel plans across the district are being submitted to the Division of the State Architect. The current hope is that four LVUSD schools will be updated with solar panels each summer, with CHS seeing the update in the summer of 2025. According to Gleason, the original plans drawn up for CHS’ solar panels interfered with a local sewer line, postponing the project with new plans currently being developed.
Overall, it seems that CHS will truly begin seeing big facility improvements starting with the 2025-2026 school year.
